Groups Send Letter to Congress Saying T-Mobile Should Not Get COVID Funding for Merger Commitments

[TexasTowelie]

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), New America’s Open Technology Institute, the Rural Wireless Association, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, the American Economic Liberties Project, and Free Press Action sent a letter today calling on Congress to ensure that T-Mobile does not receive COVID-19 recovery funding to meet the merger specific build-out commitments it agreed to when it sought approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Department of Justice, state attorneys general, and state public utilities commissions.

“The New T-Mobile has repeatedly and emphatically claimed that as a direct result of the merger, it would have the necessary resources to deliver 5G to millions of square miles of the U.S. and hundreds of millions of Americans, including those living in and traveling through rural America,” the letter says. “[T]o the extent there will be additional stimulus recovery measures Congress needs to make sure T-Mobile does not receive funding as a corporate handout to meet commitments it already made based on synergies that it lauded to get its deal done.”

The groups also point out that the FCC specified that its decision to approve the merger “would be conditioned on the network build out commitments of the licensees to provide 5G service to a large portion of the U.S. population, including rural areas.”

“Congress must hold the new T-Mobile accountable for the promises it made to ram the merger through the approval process,” said CWA Director of Government Affairs Dan Mauer. “T-Mobile promised that the merger would give the company the resources to build out 5G to nearly the entire U.S. population, including rural areas. COVID-19 recovery funds should be used to address the crisis caused by the pandemic, not as a corporate handout to help the new T-Mobile fulfill the promises the company was eager to make to push this merger through.”

Read more: https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/groups-send-letter-congress-saying-t-mobile-not-get-covid-funding-merger-commitments/

READ THE LETTER HERE: https://cwa-union.org/sites/default/files/t-mo_letter_to_congress_-_final.pdf

[Control-Z]

1. I couldn't agree more. eom

[LuckyLib]

2. They will be one of many grifting companies feeding at this trough of money.

When the dust settles, this will be one of the big stories: an unorganized and dysfunctional government once again couldn't help people who needed it, but shoved funds at corporate America.

[thesquanderer]

3. Why would ANY phone service need this money? Covid doesn't reduce their income.

I doubt there is any significant number of people dropping their monthly phone plans over this.