The House Judiciary Committee has re-scheduled a hearing on the proposed T-Mobile-Sprint merger, where the CEOs of both will face a number of critics. The hearing, which was initially planned for Feb. 14, will take place March 12.
“A merger between Sprint and T-Mobile would impact the competitive landscape for wireless services," said Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Antitrust Subcommittee chairman David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.). "Americans deserve to know how this transaction will impact their lives, communities, and the future of high-speed wireless internet deployment and adoption."
"This hearing opens the door for the American people and Congress to hear directly from the leaders of both companies and learn whether this agreement is in the best interest of the American people," said full committee ranking member Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.).
The witness list comprises of John Legere, CEO, T-Mobile; Marcelo Claure, CEO, Sprint; Chris Shelton, president, Communications Workers of America; Gigi Sohn, former senior adviser to then FCC chairman Tom Wheeler and currently distinguished fellow at Georgetown Law; Carmen Scurato, senior policy counsel, Free Press; Carri Bennet, general counsel, Rural Wireless Association; Scott Wallsten, senior policy scholar, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business; and Christopher Yoo, John H. Chestnut Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School.
The Judiciary hearing has had a complicated scheduling history.
It was originally going to be a joint hearing with the Communications Subcommittee, but because of "scheduling issues" was made a separate hearing, originally scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 14), then rescheduled to 2 p.m., then postponed "indefinitely." The Feb. 13 hearing in the House Communications Subcommittee went off without a hitch, though with divergent views of the deal.
