WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) today released the following statement regarding AT&T’s announcement of its plans to acquire T-Mobile USA:
“We look forward to the ensuing discussion about what this transaction means for consumers, job creation, competition and our evolving communications marketplace. The committee has already expressed interest in examining the Federal Communications Commission’s transaction review process, in light of its dual - and often times conflicting - role to provide both transaction approvals and industry regulations. A proposed transaction of this scale also underscores the importance of an objective review process at the FCC. A key question for this committee is whether the FCC is conducting thorough market analysis and how that influences the agency’s decision-making. We believe such analysis is essential to this and other transactions, and we intend to determine how Congress should reform the FCC’s process going forward."
