Illinois, other states join telecom antitrust suit

WASHINGTON — Seven state attorneys general have joined the Justice Department’s lawsuit to block the merger of AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA Inc.

The department announced that state attorneys general from New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania have joined Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against AT&T, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom AG, the owner of T-Mobile.

In a statement Friday, the Justice Department said the state attorneys general have assisted throughout the investigation of the proposed merger.

The department filed an amended lawsuit adding the state AGs to the case in federal court in Washington, D.C.