After one state attorney general came out against T-Mobile and Sprint’s merger last week, another state AG is coming out in support of the deal this week.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has announced her support of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger. She’s the eighth state AG to get behind the merger, joining Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
“Arkansas stands to benefit from the T-Mobile merger with Sprint which will increase competition, especially in rural areas that have been deprived of reliable wireless service,” AG Rutledge said. “From our evaluation, the merger will result in increased quality and more competitive prices for Arkansans by expanding rural broadband access and expediting 5G technology to provide an essential service for a desperately underserved population.”
On the other side of the merger battle is a group of 17 state AGs that’ve sued to block the merger. They argue that it will lessen competition, raise prices, and result in a “substantial loss” of retail jobs. The group includes AGs from states like New York, California, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Connecticut, and Illinois. The lawsuit involving these state AGs is set to begin on December 9.