Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile senior vice president of government affairs, today issued the following statement in response to Sen. Al Franken’s decision to oppose the AT&T transaction:
While we respect Senator Franken, his analysis of our pending transaction is just wrong.
The combination of T-Mobile and AT&T should be approved because it will deliver what consumers are looking for in the age of smart phones, tablets and mobile internet – speed, service quality and reduced costs. As is documented in our government filings, the combination of our two networks creates significant efficiencies that will trigger strong benefits for consumers.
We are confident that a thorough review of the record will demonstrate the transaction advances the public interest.
Source: T-Mobile
Related articles:
Sprint CEO Hesse plans to launch ‘nukes’ to block AT&T’s T-Mobile USA takeover – June 28, 2011
Trade Groups ask U.S. agencies to reject AT&T, T-Mobile deal – May 24, 2011
DOJ to launch in-depth investigation of AT&T’s plan to buy T-Mobile USA – May 3, 2011
Sprint blasts AT&T’s bid to buy T-Mobile USA; urges regulators to block deal – March 29, 2011
AT&T deal to face ‘steep climb’ at FCC – March 24, 2011
Verizon CEO: No interest in Sprint takeover; will not oppose AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile USA – March 22, 2011
How Apple’s revolutionary iPhone led to the sale of T-Mobile USA – March 22, 2011
Consumer Reports’ publisher sees no ‘justification or benefits’ from AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile USA – March 21, 2011
Sprint concerned over AT&T’s T-Mobile USA acquisition; complains of antitrust risk – March 21, 2011
T-Mobile: No Apple iPhone just yet after AT&T deal – March 21, 2011
AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA – March 20, 2011
Yes, yes, but, more importantly, what is T-Mobile’s response to U.S. Senator Bozo the Clown?
1 Franken is a joke.
… Ronnie R was a hack actor after he got elected Governor? No. Or President? HECK no. Yet, now you are focusing on the fact that Franken was a pretty decent comic after he took the seat of a dishonest, owned-by-special-interests hack politician. That guy’s politics did not favor you, or do you LIKE seeing your money wasted, your job go to China?
…that if Ronnie R was a hack actor… No, President! That all the Liberal talking heads compare Obama to Ronnie R?! (snicker). So that must mean Obama is…
http://visiontoamerica.org/2522/sharpton-obama-sounds-more-like-reagan-than-tea-partiers/
http://www.ironmill.com/2011/01/28/time-obama-like-reagan/
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/03/Obama-Is-Emphasizing-Ronald-Reagan-like-Optimism
However, I agree that you got one thing right. That hack comic didn’t win his Senatorial seat. He stole or “TOOK” it via a questionable recount of the election (snicker, snicker). What’s that phrase the left is so fond of?… Oh yeah, Franken was “SELECTED, NOT ELECTED”!
The President said:
“Congress consistently brings the government to the edge of default before facing its responsibility. This brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans’ benefits. Interest rates would skyrocket, instability would occur in financial markets, and the Federal deficit would soar.”
This President also raised the debt ceiling 17 times.
This President tripled the national debt in 8 short years.
This President was a formidable implementer of Keynesian economic policies that pulled our nation out of recession.
Thank you Ronald Reagan.
I thought Reagan implemented David Stockman’s supply side economic policies and not Keynesian economics. It was Nixon that tried Keynesian economic policies and it didn’t work out very well in the end.
Well, I just watched the video attached to a post on here, and then proceeded to watch other video’s of Mr Frankens, as he engages in debate with his colleagues in Washington…
I have come to the conclusion that he makes more sense then many I have even heard in Washington… Thanks for the links… I suspect his detractors are more concerned with party and partisan politics, than people…
Imagine how far along we could be as a country, if only we could set aside political parties and just be Americans…
Obama’s a bigger joke than even Al Franken.
That said, Obama has served a purpose. There are consequences to elections after all, and it is important to understand the history of a candidate, the nature of his immediate family and their values, who key mentors and teachers were, what individuals and groups forwarded entrance of the candidate into politics, and how that candidate behaved as a candidate and elected official. And, finally, the candidate’s business, social, and church affiliations should not be ignored.
Sadly, our president was not vetted by a corrupted 4th Estate, and benefited from their cheerleading…a condition that has only started to self-correct at this late date.
We will not have the luxury of making another mistake of this magnitude again in the next decade or so; even one made with the very best of American good intentions. In the meantime, we are all getting a major league refresher course on the nature and powerful beauty of American Civics.
Let’s not forget the Three Stooges – Bush, Michelle Bachman and crybaby John Boner. Or is it Oxycontin Rush, Glenn Heil Hitler Beck and Sarah bad boob job Palin.
That’s the best ya got?
Pfft (plus much laughter).
I see I’ve hit the target dead on. My work is done here.
Such a tired and humorless shtick. Try taking an objective look at the situation – AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint. AT&T and Verizon are the strongest. Sprint has been struggling for years. So you like the idea of AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint with the distinct possibility of that becoming only AT&T and Verizon within a few years? The cell providers have already been tacitly colluding on pricing, throttling, and bandwidth caps. Who offers the most attractive packages right now (but lacks the iPhone 4)? That’s right – Sprint. Do you really think that it will get better by going to a duopoly?
Wow, well done, thoughtful commentary posted by the pachyderm (2 minutes after the article was posted) and Stephen (3 minutes). I applaud your eagerness to pay higher cell phone/data rates. For those who care to examine an argument against reducing your competitive choices further, here is Franken’s letter to the FCC. Be warned, it contains information you might have to absorb and then decide if it makes sense.
Isn’t there an opening somewhere on SNL for Franken?
Respect Al Franken? Three words I thought I never hear in the same sentence, unless it starts with “I have no respect for …”.
Did you see that?!! The T-Mobile rep just called what we’re living in “the age of smart phones, tablets and mobile internet”.
Can anyone say euphemism for Post-PC era?!!
With whom does Sen Al Franken have cell service with? Makes me go ummmm…
Oh come on people! Are you seriously siding with the carriers? The most evil corporations around?
I love how they imply prices will drop with the merger. What a load! They will cite the cost of integrating both networks and jack service fees 10%.
If you paid a little attention you might see that Franken generally does things in service of the average person, not corporations.
If I were going to list the most evil corps around it would not start with telcos. It start with oil companies, then move on to power and gas companies, we could then add insurance, pharmaceutical companies, and mortgage companies just to name a few
You forgot the most evil entity of them all–in terms of waste, corruption and general stupidity–the federal government.
So oil companies are evil because they deal in fossil fuels? Because one of them is more valuable than Apple? Because the Americans pay more for gasoline than Venezuelans or Saudis but hardly any others? Because oil spills happen? Because market speculators keep driving up the price of oil?
What is your thinking?
The oil companies makes billons, don’t pay income taxes and on top of that, we, the tax payers, pay subsidies to them.
As if “Truth” would give up access to the products of any of these “evil” corporations. I suspect he’s just resentful that they’re more successful than he is and he depends on them for his modern lifestyle. Maybe when he grows up he can create his own corporation that doesn’t do evil, like Google. Oh, wait … They’re evil too. Never mind.
I would say it would be the media corporations. They have vested interest in making headlines to sell advertisements and the more hits the higher the price.
They are the only corporation that sells and tells on all other corporations. BIG vested interest in making problems so you can watch there corporate channel.
“The most evil corporations around?”
Don’t bring in the oil companies to argue with anim8me2. You pay about the highest mobile rates on the planet. Competition? What a joke! There is no competition in mobile. The slightly different nuances of plans aren’t competition. ALL these companies are thieves.
As we’ve seen in politics in this country over the last few years, there is no end to the number of idiots who will argue against their own best interests. This story being another example of that.
“what consumers are looking for in the age of smart phones, tablets and mobile internet – speed, service quality and reduced costs.”
Although, I am sure speed and service quality will be better. Reduced costs? When I think of competition and monopolies, reduced costs tends to fall on the competition side and not on the oligarchy side that would become more present. But, prove me wrong AT&T. I wouldn’t mind a much cheaper bill….as long as it sticks around.
Respect Al Franken? Three words I thought I never hear in the same sentence, unless it starts with “I have no respect for …”.
watch this clip and check back in. people who call out intellectual dishonesty are worth your respect.
The pot calling the kettle black?
From one who got into the Senate possibly by cheating his way in on numerous “recounts” until he won?
He’s full of it.
“From one who got into the Senate possibly by cheating his way in on numerous “recounts” until he won?”
Really.
What you really wanted to write was that Norm Coleman filed one objection after another until he ran out of options. As for the “cheating”, you will of course have proof because we all know how important facts are if you’re going to make serious allegations.
Very true John.
Also, in regards to the the Youtube video, here is the definition of “A Nuclear Family”…
A nuclear family is a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children, who share living quarters.
except that is not the definition used by the study that the FoF “expert” was citing to support his case against same sex families.
sometimes the details matter.
nuclear family, also called elementary family, in sociology and anthropology, a group of people who are united by ties of partnership and parenthood and consisting of a pair of adults and their socially recognized children. Typically, but not always, the adults in a nuclear family are married. Although such couples are most often a man and a woman, the definition of the nuclear family has expanded with the advent of same-sex marriage. Children in a nuclear family may be the couple’s biological or adopted offspring.
This is Britannica’s definition. So, you got your definition from wiki, at least thats the first hit I saw. Wikipedia is operated by the public and britannica is operated by a organization. Now you see, how really none of this shit matters. We define our lives. Someone says one thing, another says another. We all have our own agenda we want to influence.
This douche is splitting hairs in that clip. A nuclear family IS husband + wife + kids. What do you expect from a sausage smoker like Franken?
“Reduced cost”… when has something/anything gone up in quality and down in cost? (excluding iOS devices)
I’m seeing Max Headroom return, not re-runs… a return!
When I saw the headline that mentiones a US senator and the AT&T – T-Mobile merger, I was wondering which way the comments will go. There were two possibilities:
1. Look at the proposition (in favour of, or against the merger of the two carriers) and based on person’s own opinion of the value of such merger, agree or disagree with this senator;
2. Look at which party the senator happens to be from, then stop right there, not even looking at the case in question and based on the party, agree or disagree with the senator.
Surely enough, the first one out of the gate never bothered to read past the senator’s name before chiming in (which was, of course, par for course, considering the commenter’s name and picture…).
As anim8me2 said, would you really rather side with the evil carriers (who literally all of us here consistently and rightfully bash whenever we can) than allow your lips (or keys) to actually say that this guy may be right in this case???
Could not have said it better.
Ignorant partisanship.
I certainly agree with your first observation, but it seems you are applying your own form of partisanship by siding against the merger because telcos are “evil”.
Seems to me that T-Mobile came to a financial/business decision that it’s U.S. operations had become marginalized, and that it was no longer in a position to compete profitably. T-M wants out. They made a deal with one of their competitors to buy them out. Who will be served by government quashing this deal? T-M customers can look forward a slowly decaying experience as investment is halted, and neither telco gets what it wants. So the only winner is ” fear of a potential future telco monopoly” and the concept that in the name of fairness everyone must lose.
I don’t think you’re using the word partisanship properly in this context. My point was, what you seem to agree with, the fallacy of using political partisanship in deciding what is right or wrong for a specific issue.
Following that, I provided my opinion on the issue itself (rather than my partisanship of any kind, unrelated to the actual issue). I was also under impression that majority here shared such an opinion (“telcos are evil”).
On the actual issue, your argument may have merit. I’m still not convinced that AT&T should be allowed to expand its mobile reach. While closing such door to T-Mobile may severely limit their choices in their quest to recovery, it doesn’t eliminate them completely. Allowing them to be bought out by AT&T may (and likely would, judging by the current business practices of all concerned) result in an abusive monopoly that will be difficult to control.
You quoted this:
“As anim8me2 said, would you really rather side with the evil carriers…?”
When you phrase an argument as being part of a group that is on one side or the other, you are being a partisan. No biggy. Nothing political about it.
I have issues with the telcos too, but I don’t think they are particularly evil. My problem is that I don’t know, nor have I heard, a really good solution for our biggest complaints.
This is why we need a ‘like’ button or comment voting on this site.
I currently have mixed feelings about the merger. While I believe that At&t’s network will improve (It can’t get worse could it). I think it will restrict iPhone’s users ability to choose competing carriers voice and data plans. I was hoping for a gsm/cmda iPhone 5 so I don’t have to get a plan from AT&T or Verizon or be forced to buy a data plan regardless if a I need it or not. I also doubt that any of the cost savings AT&T will incur will be passed down to the consumer or any of the lower priced tmobile voice and data plans.
Mango
Franken is not good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it, people just don’t like him. He’s still a joke from his comedian origins to now.
And he’s still way smarter than you.
Frankenstein speaks…and utter crap comes out of his mouth…is this surprising? I say not…he’s been a douche in more ways than one…
“senior vice president of government affairs”
Translation:
Chief Lobbyist, Director of Lip Service To Regulators, Director of Regulatory Evasion.
The combination of T-Mobile and AT&T should be approved because it will…
…Give us an bigger monopoly so we can jack up our prices and let our service grow worse, while holding even more customers hostage. We can’t believe anyone would oppose this.
Note to shareholders: We’re currently looking for the bastard who failed to give Franken enough payola. Once we find him, his ass is toast.
Google is the most evil company as they spy on you secretly and sell that data to any crook.
He others just get your money.
Sure the merger will be good for consumers, just like lions are god for sheep!
I love how people call Franken a liar, obviously because they’ve been told to hate him, yet they are perfectly fine with believing the line “The combination of T-Mobile and AT&T should be approved because it will deliver… speed, service quality and reduced costs.”
Yes, hate on Franken, and totally believe this line of bullsh*t from the T-Mobile rep.
Sounds like a smart approach.
Franken is no joke. Just who’s side are you on?.. Sounds like a corporate minion to me… I am on the side of jobs in the Seattle area since this is where T-Mobile corporate is located as well as the fact that this proposed merger reeks of being anti competitive.
“Because it will deliver what consumers are looking for in the age of smart phones, tablets and mobile internet – speed, service quality and reduced costs.” -Tom Sugrue, T-Mobile senior VP of government affairs.
Really? Then explain how AT&T the larger more successful of the two entities, seems to think that charging $40 more for unlimited voice, text, & data is he going rate, if T-Mobile & Sprint can provide the same service for $40 less… Now they want to introduce tiered data plans, what a joke… Once the iPhone spreads to all carriers the field of play will level. The free market is about competition, not monopoly…
Franken is a total scumbag and Minnesota’s biggest embarrassment since Jesse Ventura! He is a godless slime who wants to turn Americal into a morally barren wasteland where him and his repulsive liberal friends in Hollywood, Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. where the likes of Joy Behar, Chelsea Lately, Alec Baldwin, Harry Reid, Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and all the other socialist fungus proliferate! Franken is 100% irrelevant!