T-Mobile's Sprint Deal Draws State Concerns Over Consumer Harm

State antitrust enforcers are expressing deep concerns that T-Mobile's proposed takeover of Sprint could raise prices for consumers, signaling they might seek to thwart the deal. Some state attorneys general who are investigating the $26 billion transaction took the unusual step this week of publicly voicing worries that the combination could harm competition, offering insight for the first time into how they view the tie-up. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said combining T-Mobile and Sprint would further concentrate an already consolidated industry by leaving just three national carriers. "That’s dangerous for competition. That’s dangerous for consumers," Frosh said. The comments come after more than a dozen states joined to investigate the deal in parallel with the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission, which are nearing the end of their reviews.