Didn't know a great source to grab this from. This one seemed fine (better than consumerist.com).
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/att-to-buy-t-mobile-usa-for-39-billion/AT&T announced on Sunday that it had agreed to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion, in a deal that would create the largest wireless carrier in the nation and promised to reshape the industry.
The transaction, one of the largest since the onset of the financial crisis, is expected to start a fierce battle in Washington as regulators scrutinize the effect of the deal on competition and consumers. The deal would leave just three major cellular companies in the country: AT&T, Verizon and the much smaller Sprint Nextel.
Some critics denounced the merger within hours of its announcement, saying it would most likely lead to higher prices. T-Mobile had offered some of the lowest rates in the country, keeping pressure on competitors. While AT&T is expected to honor current contracts, T-Mobile customers may have to pay higher rates once those contracts expire.
And i love this part
Still, AT&T pointed on Sunday to a recent report from the federal Government Accountability Office that said cellular subscription costs fell 50 percent from 1999 and 2009, a period in which the industry has consolidated.
Right, this super re-assures me that at&t wont be money grubbing bastards and make prices more expensive. At&t doesn't want to expand infrastructure by doing it themselves. Buy t-mobile, expand coverage, get more customers. They're asking for another breakup. I hope their purchase doesn't get to go through.
I don't use t-mobile, but it needs to stay. After that i just never cared for at&t, their gophones are tempting but not the plans for them (for $75 i get unlimited everything and only 200mb of data?). I've also heard many a story about data fees for data that customers didn't use with at&t at early hours of the morning. And yeah, their coverage sucks. Maybe if at&t actually did something about their shortcomings by themselves for themselves, they'd be better than "market consolazidation".
