Public Knowledge today asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to request from AT&T and Deutsche Telekom (DT) specific information about courses of action for T-Mobile USA if AT&T’s takeover is not completed.
In a letter to the Commission’s Wireless Bureau, PK Legal Director Harold Feld noted that recent news reports indicated DT had a “Plan B” in case the takeover fell apart, and that DT is considering selling off pieces of the company.
“This news is in stark contrast to statements by AT&T and others that T-Mobile will only become viable if AT&T acquires it. These revelations raise several important questions about T-Mobile’s helplessness without AT&T, which AT&T has explicitly relied upon in contending that this merger serves the public interest,” Feld wrote.
Feld also noted that one analyst has pegged T-Mobile’s value at $28 billion, which is $11 billion less than AT&T is willing to pay, and asked for an explanation of why AT&T was willing to pay more than market value. He also asked the Commission to inquire which other suitors were willing to be potential merger partners for T-Mobile.
Contact: Art Brodsky 202-861-0020