Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) issued the statement below after AT&T announced it was abandoning its proposed merger with T-Mobile.
 
In July he sent a filing to the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission asking that they deny AT&T’s request to acquire T-Mobile.  
 
“Had this merger gone through it would’ve been a bad deal for consumers, resulting in higher cell phone bills for Minnesotans, greatly reduced competition, the potential loss of thousands of jobs, and less innovation in technology,” said Sen. Franken.  “This merger would have put us one step away from the monopoly we had during the Ma Bell years.  Wireless telecommunication plays a central role in the 21st century American economy, and I’m relieved that we are no longer at risk of concentrating such enormous power in the hands of AT&T and Verizon.”
 
Sen. Franken first expressed concern over the merger in May after hearing testimony from AT&T and T-Mobile during a Judiciary Committee hearing.