- The DOJ and FCC have both approved T-Mobile’s $4.4 billion acquisition of most of US Cellular, with no major conditions or safeguards imposed.
- T-Mobile will gain US Cellular’s customers, stores, and spectrum, while US Cellular will keep its towers and focus on leasing them out.
- Critics worry the merger could reduce competition, especially in rural areas, but US Cellular customers shouldn’t see immediate changes at least.
Last year, T-Mobile announced plans to acquire most of US Cellular in a $4.4 billion deal. As is typical with massive mergers, the deal required both DOJ and FCC approval. At the time, it was unclear whether such a proposal would actually be approved by either organization. After the election, the odds became much higher with the new administration. Fast forward to today — just last week, the DOJ signed off on the offer, and to little surprise, the FCC has now followed suit (via Fierce Wireless).
The FCC approved the transaction without a vote from the full commission (which is made up of two Republicans and one Democrat). While these kinds of offers often come with concessions — such as new unlocking policies or other limits — this particular approval didn’t include any additional conditions and passed through without any real opposition from the FCC.