6. Order Instituting Investigation

As stated above, this Investigation will be the procedural vehicle for the Commission to review the merits of the merger and take appropriate action based on our analysis. This Commission intends to comment on the FCC proceeding. In order to do so, the Commission has targeted the ending date of this proceeding so that it is around the time the FCC has announced its proceeding may finish. Moreover, a number of issues can only be decided by the FCC, including whether to approve the AT&T and T-Mobile merger on a national basis. A lengthy proceeding here, which could continue long after the FCC has made its decision, could prevent us from having meaningful participation in the FCC process.

The scope of the Investigation adopted in this OII allows a thorough consideration of the proposed merger within a schedule consistent with the FCC's anticipated timeline.