Democrats question T-Mobile-Sprint merger deal

WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic lawmakers are challenging a pledge by T-Mobile and Sprint not to raise prices or hurt competition if their $26.5 billion merger goes through.

The deal would combine the nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless companies and create a behemoth roughly the size of industry giants Verizon and AT&T. The House Energy and Commerce Committee doesn’t have authority to rule on the merger, but members are able to use the forum to ask pointed questions.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, wonders, “How can we be sure that consumers who can least afford to pay more are not harmed by the merger?”

T-Mobile says it won’t raise prices for three years, but Pallone says he’s not sure that Trump administration regulators are willing to hold T-Mobile to that promise.