What do you think about the Department of Justice filing an anti-trust suit against AT&T, so it doesn't become too big when it merges with T-Mobile?

Both companies are huge as it is. If they merge, there will only be two mobile providers of any size in the US (Sprint barely counts).

Any merge that reduces competitiveness and increases the concentration of power and influence of a company within a market is bad news for the consumer. The lawsuit is a good idea IMO.

I wish they had done this with the banks. Who the hell cares about cellphones?

edit:Valid question, mad at the government not people who use cellphones

I don’t know yet. I have gone off the major smartphone network and switched to Sprint’s Boost mobile. Cheap non-smart phones at 50 bucks a month unlimited calls and texts. I used to pay Sprint three or four times more than that. I don’t need my phone to be smart. I just need it for calls not internet.

But then I pay ATT 30 bucks a month for unlimited internet. Which is great since it’s got a bigger screen compared to a smart-phone and definitely a plus.

T-Mobile needs to be left alone. Its the best mobile phone service out there. I have had T-Moble since 1998, when it started as Voicestream.

AT&T is afraid T-Mobile will take over the number one spot.

T-Mobile has the best customer service out there…....bar none.

Bawesome. Would be nice if they broke up all the local duopolies in wired internet too.

I don’t get why AT&T is doing this again. They were forced to split back in the day, so they split into smaller companies including Cingular, Pac Bell, Bell South, and others due to an antitrust suit filed by the government.

In the past couple decades, AT&T has been slowly re-absorbing the same companies it was composed of then!!!

Why WOULDN’T the US try and prevent the same thing they stopped previously?!

@mrrich724 I didn’t know that, very interesting.

I am happy that they are trying to stop the merger.
As mentioned above, we are already down to Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and TMobile. Throw in the NSA warrantless wiretapping program, with only a handful of companies to choose from, it makes it that much easier to wiretap the entire country.

There was some other good news involving AT&T and the government that was released yesterday. I wish this case would receive more media coverage.

I’m happy too. I’ve had poor service with AT&T in North Florida, South Florida, Northern Cali, and Southern Cali.

They’re LUCKY they had the iPhone.

If they have even less competition, they will take more money and have less incentive to give you anything for it.

AT&T is evil. Seriously.

Does anyone here remember that the Justice Department broke up AT&T via antitrust suit in 1984. There was no competition prior to that. Service was great, cheap, and regulated. The current AT&T is really SBC who bought out AT&T and is using the familiar AT&T name. I don’t think AT&T should be allowed to swallow up any more mobile companies. They seem to be putting all of their investment into mobile and wireless which is bad news for those of us who like DSL and land lines. I just will not have internet service provisioned wirelessly.

@perspicacious that’s ain interesting perspective. I’m too young to remember cost and quality of service back then.

@mrrich724 That a problem. Young people have no idea what real quality, security, privacy, and value are because all they’ve known is Walmart, McDonalds, and crappy cell service. Cell service doesn’t hold a handle in quality to a land line but many of you have never even experienced it. You’ve been led to believe that crappy cell service is the status quo, which it is becoming. Why? Because it’s cheap to provision and they charge an arm and a leg for it. A land line is $20 a month and great dependable, private, secure service. Why is it cheap? It’s the only thing still regulated by your state PUC. You don’t have to allow it. AT&T was broken up in the 80s because it was as big as the Federal government and they weren’t going to have that. Admittedly long distance is cheaper now, but for what has been lost, it’s a pity.

@perspicacious I don’t totally agree with that. I’m not TOO young to remember land lines. Just to young to remember the cost!

I remember saying “I’ll call you when I get home,” as opposed to just calling someone and saying what’s on your mind when it’s on your mind. Having to walk a mile or more if you ran out of gas or blew a tire (as opposed to staying put and calling a friend or Triple A) I remember looking like a doofball trying to find someone when it’s time to meet up. Now you can just call someone when you arrive somewhere, and you can corroborate plans on the fly, not before you leave, a ½ hour or more before an event, giving time for potential changes and no way of communicating those changes.

My grandma still has a land line, and of course a land line will provide a more reliable, and quality product, but the benefits cellular communication has provided, unlike McDonald’s, which provides little to know benefit whatsoever (other than the immediate gratification of feeling full) are evident.

The problem is greediness, charging $75 a month, for a service equivalent to that which my sister is paying $40 a month for!