Ten state attorneys general have asked Justice to work with AT&T to come up with conditions or divestitures that will make the T-Mobile deal pass muster on antitrust grounds.
According to a copy of a letter to Sharis Pozen, acting assistant attorney general, antitrust division, and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, the ten, who had previously written in support of the $39 billion merger, applauded Justice for saying it was willing to talk to AT&T about resolving the antitrust issues that led it to file suit against the deal, then counseled both Justice and the FCC to find a "mutually acceptable" solution. "It is not unusual for mergers like this to be allowed to proceed with divestitures which preserve competition and provide consumer benefits," they wrote.
The letter was dated Wednesday (Sept. 21), the same day AT&T and Justice were scheduled for a conference with the D.C. federal district judge hearing the Justice suit.
The attorneys general were from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
On the other side, attorneys general from seven states have joined the Justice suit to block the merger. They are from New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
