AT&T Files Official Court Response to Department of Justice Lawsuit
To say that AT&T is disappointed in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) would be quite the understatement. Ma Bell certainly hasn’t been quiet with their official statements in response to the DOJ’s attempt to block their pending merger with T-Mobile. Statements are one thing, but now AT&T has taken it one step further and submitted a 25 page court document arguing the entire foundation of the DOJ antitrust lawsuit.
The document argues that the DOJ’s lawsuit represents a misunderstanding of the market and overlooks competition from other carriers like MetroPCS and US Cellular. It continues to outline T-Mobile’s struggle for years. The document even citing T-Mobile’s despair as their parent company, Deutsche Telekom, decided not to put forth any additional investments. AT&T points out how it is quite the different scenario for their company, as they still struggle to keep up with consumer demand, despite having pumped a staggering $30 billion into improving network quality and capacity.
Overall AT&T does present sound arguments in its defense against the DOJ lawsuit, but it’s also easy to see why the government is concerned. If the AT&T and T-Mobile merger proves successful, what will that do to innovation and competition with only three major carriers ruling the wireless market? Will they still be motivated to push costs down and provide unique products? At this point it’s too early to speculate, but it’s safe to assume that the outcome of this case will be a definite game changer for the entire wireless market.
The official US District court hearings begin September 21st.
It’s to bad that T-Mobile is doing bad. I like the service. I for one and saying fuck it and going with Verizon and getting the Bionic.