FCC offers public a chance to chime in on AT&T/T-Mobile deal

The Federal Communications Commission opens up ongoing deliberations over the AT&T/T-Mobile merger to public comment on its website.

When AT&T announced the planned acquisition of T-Mobile back in March, it was made immediately clear by the Federal Communications Commission that some tough questions would have to be addressed before the deal is approved. One unnamed regulatory official said that AT&T would face “a steep climb, to say the least.”

The intention, of course, is to protect consumers. If AT&T joins forces with T-Mobile, the number of top national wireless phone service competitors in the United States will shrink from four to three. The FCC wants to make sure that the move will be in the best interests of the people who keep these companies alive, which is to say, anyone who owns a cellphone. In that spirit, the government agency is turning to the public for opinions on the planned deal.

The FCC continues to deliberate on the issue, and it has now opened things up for public comment. Case number 11-65 is now available on the agency website’s Electronic Comment Filing System. Simply follow that link, click into the related case and explain why you think this is or isn’t a healthy move for the industry from the consumer’s perspective.

This is a public commenting system — there are 147 entered in at the time of this writing — so anything you say will be publicly viewable. If this is an issue you feel strongly about, definitely make sure to step up and make a case. The FCC is working in our best interests, so don’t expect your words to go unheeded.