“Although the FCC Order acknowledges the merger will likely lead to store closures and job loss, the FCC fails to protect workers with employment-related conditions,” said Debbie Goldman, CWA Research and Telecommunications Policy Director.
The lawsuit undermines T-Mobile’s commitments to rural communities as it prepares to defend itself in another lawsuit by the attorneys general from the District of Columbia and 15 states challenging the proposed T-Mobile-Sprint merger.
“Complaints include long repair durations and repeated out-of-service conditions, as well as Internet access and speed issues,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “Customers need the company to do better, and we will ensure that it does.”
The Broadband Research Base is a searchable collection of reports, studies, and journal articles that address the impact of broadband and digital inclusion on community and individual well-being.
“Both the original transaction and proposed settlement agreement raise the threat of higher phone bills, less choice, fewer jobs, and worse wages for hardworking Americans,” said House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David N. Cicilline (D-RI).
The DOJ Consent Decree and the DISH waiver and extension requests represent significant changes to the original transaction and raise new and important public interest and competition issues.
According to an analysis by the Urban Institute, 48 percent of households in the predominantly African-American neighborhoods have broadband subscriptions, while 84 percent of households in predominantly white neighborhoods have broadband subscriptions.
