One FCC goal is increasing wireless coverage in rural and poor areas of the country.
AT&T argues the combination of the two companies will expand 4G (Fourth Generation) LTE (Long Term Evolution) to 95 percent of the US population 鈥� both urban and rural. 鈥淩ural and smaller communities will substantially benefit from the expansion of the 4G LTE deployment,鈥� it argues.
Tardiff responds that the issue is really how much of the increased coverage would have happened even if the merger had not taken place.
AT&T says the merger will give it as many new cell towers as five years of construction. More tower sites means fewer dropped calls, a frequent complaint of some AT&T users.
In fact, when AT&T began its ad campaign featuring iPhone 鈥渁pps,鈥� with the tagline, 鈥淭here鈥檚 an app for that,鈥� Verizon responded with ads saying, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a map for that,鈥� a jab at AT&T鈥檚 limited coverage and showcasing Verizon鈥檚 own coverage map, says Tardiff.
