Sprint is America’s third largest operator and the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile has them running scared. Dan Hesse (pictured above), Sprint’s current CEO, doesn’t want to see the deal go through, and he’s doing everything in his power to make sure that the U.S. government doesn’t put his company in a position of being more of an underdog than it already is. He knows he can’t go about this battle alone though, so he’s just made the announcement that Sprint is going to Rural Carrier Association. The RCA, as it’s better known, represents over 100 small operators that who have a wireless footprint that covers 80% of America. From their headquarters in Washington D.C., they make sure that the White House, Congress, the FCC, and other policy makers, pay attention to their needs and don’t bend over backwards for Verizon and AT&T. With Sprint joining the RCA, they now have a better shot at killing the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, but it’s still too early to tell if it’s going to have any impact on the decision.
Vonya McCann, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Sprint, said: “The competitive carriers who make up the RCA are engines of innovation in the wireless industry. At Sprint, we have many issues of mutual concern with RCA members and we look forward to advocating for policies that promote competition and a level playing field across the wireless industry.”
Hu Meena, President & CEO of Cellular South and the 2011/2012 Chairman of the RCA Board said: “We are pleased that Sprint has become an RCA member and that they will join our efforts to provide a vibrant wireless marketplace for consumers throughout the entire nation. I call on all other competitive carriers to join our fight to restore competition in the market and pull the industry back from the brink of a duopoly.”
The next 12 months are going to be fun to watch. Think AT&T and T-Mobile will actually merge?