T-Mobile’s plan to acquire a portion of US Cellular has not yet been made official. It still needs to get the approval of regulators. And today, we’re learning that the proposed deal is currently being questioned by lawmakers. 

As reported by PhoneArena, the proposed deal is currently being challenged by the same lawmakers who want to undo the T-Mobile-Sprint merger that happened in 2020. The six Democrat senators have sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Justice Department to closely inspect the deal. 

Unlike the T-Mobile-Sprint acquisition, T-Mobile’s deal with US Cellular doesn’t give them full ownership of the wireless brand and its assets. Instead, the $4.4 billion deal will only give T-Mobile 30% of the carrier’s wireless spectrum, stores, and 4 million customers. This means that US Cellular will continue to own a major chunk of the assets. It also maintains its towers but will offer 2,100 on lease to the Un-carrier. 

The lawmakers have asked the two regulatory agencies to carefully look at the deal. They have also expressed their desire for the 2020 merger to be undone. 

If all goes well, the deal may close by 2025. 

Source: PhoneArena