The FCC requires more details from US telco AT&T on how its US$39bn plan to acquire local rival T-mobile will help deliver high-speed broadband to 97% of the country’s population. “Requests from the FCC staff for additional information are to be…
The FCC requires more details from US telco AT&T on how its US$39bn plan to acquire local rival T-mobile will help deliver high-speed broadband to 97% of the country’s population.
“Requests from the FCC staff for additional information are to be expected given the detailed review they are undertaking,” an AT&T spokesman said in an emailed statement.
“In this case, the FCC is seeking supplemental information on our commitment, following merger approval, to bring 4G LTE mobile broadband to 97% of all Americans.”
Earlier this month, AT&T accidently revealed it had rejected US$3.8bn plans to expand its network to this level on its own, reported the Wall Street Journal citing information in an FCC filing that has since been removed.
The spokesman continued: “We look forward to providing the Commission with this additional information, which will further confirm that we would not be able to deliver 4G LTE to 55 million more Americans without our merger with T-Mobile.”
AT&T announced plans to acquire T-mobile on 20 March, in a move that would see America’s second-largest carrier combine with the country’s fourth-largest. The enlarged group would supersede US giant Verizon Wireless as number one carrier in the US.
The company anticipates it will take about a year for regulators to complete a review of its planned merger.
Meanwhile, the plan has received a boost from acquisitive pay-TV operator DishTV, which has unveiled plans to become a new competitor in the US wireless market.
