States Raise Concerns Over Verizon’s $6.25 Billion TracFone Bid

Attorneys general from 16 states and the District of Columbia are raising concerns to the FCC about Verizon Communications Inc.‘s $6.25 billion proposed acquisition of leading budget carrier TracFone Wireless Inc.

Verizon and TracFone “have failed to answer numerous legitimate consumer protection and equity issues since their initial application,” the attorneys general said in a Thursday letter to the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing the deal.

The coalition, led by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D), say they are “particularly concerned” about the deal’s potential impact on Lifeline, an FCC program that provides eligible low-income households with a ...