NYT Editorial: Hey, FCC: Think Carefully About That ATT/T-Mobile Merger

The New York Times urges regulators to be cautious about okaying that ATT/T-Mobile merger. It’s skeptical about company claims that competition is brisk enough to overcome fears of monopoly. Says the Times in part,

[s]maller rivals hardly represent significant competition. They can’t provide a nationwide seamless network and must rely on costly roaming arrangements. They lack the scale to deploy extensive high-technology 3G and 4G networks. And as big carriers tie up the best smartphones in exclusive deals, the smaller carriers have been left out of the booming data market. Even Sprint and T-Mobile may have insufficient spectrum to challenge the leaders. In recent years, they have lost many subscribers.

Read the entire op-ed here (subscription may be required).