At the recent Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) meeting in Denver, DISH Co-founder and Chairman, Charlie Ergen, was asked about the future of competition in the wireless industry. In his response, he said this of the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint: “…Sprint and-T-Mobile will have a big effect on the people in this room and the industry for a long time to come. We are public that we have opposed it as it has been presented because we think it reduces competition and raises prices.”
Mr. Ergen should take a look at how his own company is operating, rather than pointing fingers. He purports to favor public policies that promote competition and help consumers, but his company's failure to deploy its massive spectrum holdings over the last several years has thwarted pro-consumer policy. In fact, DISH's continued warehousing of prime commercial spectrum has actually slowed 5G deployment in the U.S., and DISH has a history of trickery when it comes to acquiring spectrum.
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