Skip to main content

Seven states team up in attempt to block AT&T and T-Mobile Merger

Sprint just gained seven new allies in the fight against AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile. Seven states have joined the Justice Department’s lawsuit aiming to block the proposed merger. The states in question are California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The seven states are worried that the merger will reduce competition, and would result in higher prices.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said, “”This proposed merger would stifle competition in markets that are crucial to New York’s consumers and businesses, while reducing access to low-cost options and the newest broadband-based technologies.” Price and competition are at the center of the debate on both sides, and it seems as though both sides have vastly differing views of the outcome of the possible merger.

Recommended Videos

AT&T spokesman Michael Balmoris said that, “it is not unusual for state attorney general to participate on DOJ merger review proceeding or court filings.” AT&T is still very confident that the deal will go through even with added competition. The company issued a massive formal response to the DOJ’s lawsuit earlier this month.  AT&T is requesting that the hearing start on January 16, which the DOJ is trying to delay until March 19.

Interestingly aside from the seven states trying to block the merger there are eleven states supporting the merger. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Well it looks like we will have at least four months for the other 32 states to weigh in on where they stand.

Mike Dunn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in poetry, and made his big break by writing love sonnets to the…
Instagram takes a page from Spotify’s book to launch Blend for Reels
Instagram on the Samsung Galaxy A54.

Watching a variety of Instagram Reels has never been easier than in a special group chat with friends. Instagram has launched Blend, a new feature that allows you to create custom Reels feeds for you and anyone you invite into a DM group.

The Meta-owned platform announced the rollout of Instagram Blend on Thursday (per TechCrunch), which is inspired by a Spotify playlist of the same name called Spotify Blend that mixes your music tastes with those of the person you invite into that playlist (assuming they have Spotify at all), and the songs refresh daily. With Instagram Blend, you can create a Reels feed in a one-on-one DM with another person or in a group chat with friends or family.

Read more
I tested the Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e’s cameras, and the two almost tied
A person holding the Google Pixel 9a and Apple iPhone 16e.

The Google Pixel 9a’s arch rival, almost regardless of whether you are trying to decide which one to buy, is the Apple iPhone 16e. Just like dogs chase cats, a new Pixel phone will go up against an iPhone in a camera test at some point, and over the past week or so, we’ve worked to answer the question of which phone takes better photos, the Pixel 9a or the iPhone 16e.
The camera specs
Google Pixel 9a (left) and Apple iPhone 16e Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The two phones have very different camera systems. The Google Pixel 9a has a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), plus a 13MP wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. On the front is a 13MP selfie camera.

Read more
After delays, the Google Pixel 9a is finally available to buy: These are the best deals
A video playing on the Google Pixel 9a.

After a lot of waiting, delays, and hype for the Google Pixel 9a, there's no shame if your hype died down a bit. But now it's here, and we've reviewed the Pixel 9a as "a brilliant phone to buy" and even find picking between the Pixel 9a and regular Pixel 9 a "close call." The Google Pixel 9a retails for $499, and you can see it in the store for yourself by tapping the button below. But there are a lot of offers going on that you need to know about before making your purchasing decision to ensure you get the best deal. Here, we're going to detail all of Google's offers on the phone so you can get the best deal for your unique situation.

What Google Pixel 9a deal is best for you?
Depending on what you have and what you want, there is a different Google Pixel 9a deal out there for you:

Read more