March 22, 2011 10:19AM 

# Voices on the AT&T — T‑Mobile Merger 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

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News that AT&amp;T plans a purchase of T‑Mobile has brought out a lot of commentary.

On the TechLiberationFront blog, Larry Downes [critiqued the emotional reaction](http://techliberation.com/2011/03/21/att-and-t-mobile-the-anti-antitrust-terrorists/) of some advocates for government-managed communications.

On the TechLiberationFront blog, Jerry Brito noted how the deal [highlights the artificial spectrum scarcity](http://techliberation.com/2011/03/21/attt-mobile-highlights-artificial-spectrum-scarcity/) created by the Federal Communications Commission.

And on the TechLiberationFront blog, Adam Thierer [catalogued a series of thoughts](http://techliberation.com/2011/03/21/some-random-thoughts-on-att-t-mobile-merger/) on various aspects of the merger.

Picking up a theme? That’s right: the federal government should not try to manage the development of the communications marketplace.

##### Related Tags 

[Technology and Privacy](https://www.cato.org/technology-privacy) 

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