Former Rep. Boucher: FCC made ‘wrong decision’ on AT&T merger

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a mistake in blocking the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, according to the former chairman of an influential House subcommittee. 

Former Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said the FCC and the Justice Department were wrong to conclude that the merger of two companies would threaten competition. 

"It seems to me … that the wireless side is the most competitive" in the telecommunications industry, Boucher told The Hill. 

"I think it was the wrong decision." 

Boucher is now a partner at the Washington, D.C. lobbying firm Sidley Austin, and was one of the most influential members of Congress on telecom issues before losing his reelection bid in 2010. 

AT&T is a longtime client of Sidley Austin, and Boucher argued in favor of the merger before its failure.  

Boucher said he’s baffled that regulators would block the AT&T deal after allowing the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal — which he said met the same “severe resistance” from public interest groups.  

Allowing the Comcast deal while blocking AT&T’s was “a mistake,” Boucher said.

The former House Telecom subcommittee chairman noted that wireless carriers are trying to maximize a finite amount of spectrum as smartphone use surges. Blocking wireless companies from merging won't help competition when the companies involved are hamstrung by a lack of "urgently needed" capacity.

"The bottom line is those carriers need spectrum," he said.

--Updated on April 13 to reflect Boucher's ties to AT&T