“Today’s hearing has clearly illustrated how difficult it will be for DOJ and the FCC to approve the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. While approval of the merger might help the short term business interests of AT&T and T-Mobile, many very serious questions remain about long term wireless deployment in this nation, including those about overall spectrum availability and improved service to rural areas,” stated Carri Bennet, RTG’s General Counsel. “RTG cannot fathom how long term rural deployment will occur with a Twin Bell duopoly, nor how retail and wholesale prices will not increase. Neither AT&T nor T-Mobile could adequately address the long term harm that will befall consumers if T-Mobile, the low cost provider with a higher speed network and more innovative technology, is swallowed by AT&T, a slow moving behemoth in the wireless industry that has to grow through acquisition rather than innovation.”

Carri Bennet, General Counsel to the Rural Telecommunications Group

regarding the hearing on: “How Will the Proposed Merger Between AT&T and T-Mobile Affect Wireless Telecommunications Competition?” by the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet

About RTG – Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Rural Telecommunications Group, Inc. (RTG) is a trade association representing rural wireless carriers who each serve less than 100,000 subscribers. RTG’s members have joined together to speed delivery of new, efficient and innovative telecommunications technologies to remote and underserved communities. ruraltelecomgroup.org @RTGwireless

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