Department of Homeland Security piggybacks on T-Mobile's SunCom buy
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Feb 20th 2008 3:55PM
posted Feb 20th 2008 3:55PM
Here's an interesting little fact: because T-Mobile is foreign-owned (by Germany's Deutsche Telekom), several government agencies get all up in its business every time it makes an acquisition. Yes, of course, government agencies get their grubby paws in every acquisition here be it foreign or domestic, but the foreigners have it considerably worse. When DT completed the VoiceStream acquisition back in 2001 to form T-Mobile USA, the FBI and Department of Justice took their sweet time to make sure they'd have agreements in place that allowed them to monitor communications 24 hours a day at their leisure and discretion, and actually held up the FCC's approval until they had a signed deal with the company. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has been thrust into prominence and wants in on the same luxuries its counterparts at the DOJ and FBI enjoy -- so yeah, you guessed it, they held up the SunCom deal until DT let them in on the action, too. Rumor has it T-Mobile wasn't too happy about the Department's demands, but when the rubber met the road, they chose wireless footprint over principles. Really, with the G Men already on board, what difference does it make? [Warning: PDF link][Via BetaNews, thanks oakie]
It's sad T-Mo always gets the shaft from the US gov't...its not like they are owned by a non-allied/non-NATO country.
Well, T-Mobile isn't owned by a country at all. But it is ridiculous that the company has to go through this.
I feel safer already.
Just yet another reason I left T-Mobile... sure they dont TELL YOU they are giving wiretaps like Verizon, oh no, they are much more polite and fuck you in the ass! BEHIND YOUR BACK!
Well, since the government is making sure everything is safe, I can leave my house again.
Is the foreign thing also why the government took their sweet time (over a year longer than expected) to vacate the AWS spectrum it sold to T-Mobile?
So does that mean that The Man has /more/ or /less/ access to your phone calls on T-Mobile (compared to AT&T)?
I highly doubt any phone conversation, text, email is safe regardless who your service provider is.
Nope, because if you are an American-based company, it is assumed you would go out of your way to pull out the extra-cushy kneepads for the DHS, FBI, and DOJ.
Why? It is UNAMERICAN to not agree to violate basic American freedoms!
Do you really want to be an American freedom loving TERRORIST?
Sounds like something only practiced in Russia or Communist China.
T-Mobile needs to bend the back to gain some favor, including speeding up AWS band cleanup
they would bend their back for customers' good
we understand, and not blaming
Verizon is also foreign owned. But that is via Vodafone (UK?), I wonder if the same deal happens there.
Well Verizon is only partly owned (51% right?) by Voda. The rest is Verizon over here, so they probably get by with that.
T-Mobile is all Deutsche.
Guten Tag!
T-mobile is owned by DT (Deutsche Telekom) Which is infact partially owned by the german government.
I have suncom now, and I've had the original unplan since it first came out (unlimited local and long distance as long as we stay in NC or SC for like $60 a month), I'm kinda worried if the T-Mobile thing will mess that up.
I mean..how will it affect us? The suncom phone line up sucks, I hope we can get t-mobile phones now.