US: FCC responds to Sprint, T-Mobile chatter

The head of the Federal Communications Commission spoke Wednesday to address claims that unless wireless rivals Sprint and T-Mobile merge, they will not be able to compete.

Reports say FCC head Tom Wheeler said that competition is his only priority when considering such a merger.

”We’re interested in making sure that ‘competition, competition, competition’ is the watchword in industries over which we have responsibility,” Wheeler said. “And we’ll focus on that like a laser beam.”

Wheeler, along with the US Department of Justice, have displayed public skepticism over a possible combination of Sprint and T-Mobile. But Sprint parent company SoftBank is reportedly pushing for a consolidation campaign in the US wireless industry.

Should the two companies officially strike a deal, they face an uphill battle against regulators.

”We believe that what is extant in the market today in terms of four major competitors is an important and driving force in the competitive nature of that market,” Wheeler said of the nation’s wireless industry. Experts observed that Wheeler’s comment does not show any softer stance against a possible merger.

Full Content: Reuters

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