Well, this is interesting. A report emerged early this morning that revealed that nine states have subpoenaed Sprint for documents and information relating to its opposition to AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. The states in question include Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. A subpoena was also sent to Sprint by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. AT&T has revealed that it, too, has been subpoenaed by the same states as Sprint.

Sprint has been one of the most vocal opponents of the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, saying that if the merger is approved it will "stifle innovation" and pose a "serious threat" to the wireless industry. As pointed out by PhoneScoop, these states won't have any actual power to block or approve the acquisition, but they can make recommendations and attempt to sway the decision one way or the other. Speaking of a decision, a final yes or no on AT&T's proposed acquisition is expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2012.

Via PhoneScoop, Reuters