Following Sprint’s and the Department of Justice lead, regional carrier Cellular South has filed an anti-trust lawsuit hoping to block AT&T’s takeover of T-Mobile USA. According to Eric Graham, Cellular South Vice President for Strategic and Government relations a combined AT&T/T-Mobile would “substantially lesson competition” and “essentially consolidate the market into the hands of the ‘Big Two’ AT&T and Verizon.” Additionally, the carrier believes that higher roaming fees will result, innovation will be reduced along with consumer choice and due to exclusivity agreements regional carriers would have a tougher time getting the best products in a reasonable amount of time.

Sprint has already responded to Cellular South’s lawsuit:

Vonya B. McCann, Sprint’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, issued the following statement:

“Today Cellular South stands with the U.S. Department of Justice, seven state Attorneys General and Sprint in asking the Courts to protect American consumers from the harms to competition, innovation, and pricing that likely would result if AT&T is allowed to takeover T-Mobile. As this growing chorus of opposition shows, this proposed transaction violates antitrust law and is not in the best interests of consumers and the American economy.”