A group of nine senators this week voiced their strong opposition to the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint.

In a letter addressed to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, eight Democratic senators and Bernie Sanders, an Independent, asked the FCC and Department of Justice to reject the proposed merger because it will likely "raise prices for consumers, harm workers, stifle competition, exacerbate the digital divide, and undermine innovation."

A separate letter signed by five senators was sent to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The letters come a day before scheduled hearings in the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce Committees, which will examine the blockbuster merger between the third and fourth-largest wireless carriers in America.

Led by Senator Richard Blumenthal, the FCC letter has the support of four Democratic presidential candidates: Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Amy Klobuchar. Two other signing senators, Bernie Sanders and Sherrod Brown, are reportedly considering 2020 runs.

Their opposition is rooted in concerns about market concentration and antitrust issues. The merger would "increase consolidation and produce and country club market" with three exclusive members (AT&T, Verizon, and the merged Sprint/T-Mobile entity) controlling more than 98 percent of the market and the wireless band spectrum, they write. The senators also believe the deal would drive up wireless carrier prices, reduce telecommunication workers' wages, and widen the urban-rural connectivity divide.

The letter also broaches the subject of 5G. The senators cite T-Mobile's past promises of a nationwide 5G network as evidence that the 5G rollout is not merger-specific. "We remain unconvinced the merger would speed up the deployment of next-generation 5G networks or extend coverage to all Americans," they write.

T-Mobile and Sprint have talked up the merger as a means to create a stronger third competitor to AT&T and Verizon's 5G networks. The letter argues that "T-Mobile and Sprint's sudden claims that neither can create a 5G network separately flies in the face of announcements, disclosures, and marketing to consumers and investors over the past two years."

The major carriers are already filing lawsuits against one another over so-called "fake 5G" claims.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere and other execs from Sprint and T-Mobile are set to appear before the House Committees on Wednesday (an additional House Judiciary Committee antitrust panel scheduled for Thursday is being rescheduled) to field questions about the $26 billion merger.

Legere is expected to testify regarding topics including the loopholes over proposed pricing plans that "won't raise rates," and the Washington Post report about T-Mobile execs staying in Trump hotels in the two weeks following the submission of the carriers' most recent merger proposal.

Along with the Congressional committee hearings, states including New York and California have also launched investigations into the merger. Ultimately, approval lies with the FCC and Department of Justice, which blocked the AT&T/T-Mobile merger in 2011 and put regulatory pressure on Sprint and T-Mobile to drop their initial merger plans in 2014.

"Twice in our recent past, our antitrust officials have been asked to approve a merger or acquisition similar to this one," the letter concludes. "Twice, our antitrust officials have rejected it. Twice, Americans have benefitted from that decision. Once again, this third time, we must put our foot down."

In 2011 and 2014, of course, the FCC and DOJ were controlled by Democrats. Now they are in the hands of the more merger-friendly Republicans.

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