California’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted on Thursday, April 16, to approve the merger of wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint, marking the final approval for a US$23 billion deal which closed on April 1.
The deal had closed without a final decision from the CPUC, which gave that on Thursday with a unanimous vote. The CPUC had issued a proposed decision in March to approve the merger with conditions. T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to abide by those conditions.
The biggest hurdle for the companies was a legal battle with state attorneys general who had argued that the deal would mean higher prices for consumers. But a US federal judge disagreed in February, and allowed the deal, which was originally valued at US$26 billion, to go forward.
In comments before the vote, two of the commissioners noted the importance of ensuring that conditions that T-Mobile agreed to in order to win the approval be adequately enforced.
Full Content: Reuters
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