FCC formally approves the T-Mobile-Sprint merger
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally approved the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. The decision comes after a drawn-out, and at times contentious, review of T-Mobile's $26.5 billion bid to merge with Sprint.
The FCC believes the deal will close the digital divide and advance 5G in the US. T-Mobile and Sprint have committed to deploying 5G service to cover 97 percent of Americans within three years. They've also pledged to provide 90 percent of Americans with access to mobile service with speeds of at least 100 Mbps within six years. The FCC's approval is conditional on those promises, and the parties could be fined over $2 billion if they don't meet those goals.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday November 06 2019, @02:25AM
I don't think it has much to do with what customers want.
Where I live, one of the mobile companies is showing regular ads on TV about how "5G will enable new technologies, like driverless cars" which is obvious bullshit, but they're happy to lie to clueless users.
What I am pretty sure is going to happen is that they (in cahoots with their opposition) will decide 5G is too expensive to roll out, so the taxpayer is going to have to pay for it, because "jobs" or whatever.
What I hope happens is that when they do that, we have a Prime Minister smart enough to do what the the incumbent did in 2008 when the banks came looking for a bailout, and start the negotiations by asking for a controlling shareholding.
Our banks stopped asking for taxpayer money after that.