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T-Mobile is on the hook for Sprint’s $200 million screw up
In a press release, FCC chairman Ajit Pai mentioned, “Lifeline is key to our commitment to bringing digital opportunity to low-income Americans, and it is especially critical that we make the best use of taxpayer dollars for this vital program. I’m pleased that we were able to resolve this investigation in a manner that sends a strong message about the importance of complying with rules designed to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the Lifeline program. In addition to the great work of our Enforcement Bureau team, I would like to thank the Oregon Public Utility Commission for its efforts in this case. States play an important role in helping low-income consumers get access to affordable communications through Lifeline and making sure the program is run efficiently.”
The FCC notes that the $200 million awarded to the U.S. Treasury is the largest fixed-amount settlement that the FCC has ever imposed and was the results of an investigation finished by the Oregon Public Utility Commission. Even although Sprint is now a part of T-Mobile, it is providing Lifeline underneath the Assurance Wireless model.
On April 1st of this yr, T-Mobile formally merged with Sprint after practically two years of battling with the FCC and the Department of Justice. T-Mobile went after Sprint for one main cause. It wished the provider’s mid-band 2.5GHz spectrum in order that it might launch its layer cake model of 5G. The low-band 600MHz airwaves that T-Mobile received from an FCC public sale are deployed to permit its 5G service to achieve from coast-to-coast. The 2.5GHz spectrum picked up from the acquisition of Sprint permits rural Americans to connect with T-Mobile’s 5G service and likewise delivers quicker obtain knowledge speeds than low-band 5G. The high layer of the cake belongs to the high-band mmWave band that gives the quickest 5G speeds regardless that it travels solely brief distances.
$200 million is some huge cash, however remember that the inventory market at the moment values the provider at $143.6 billion.
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