BARCELONA — The wireless industry was almost treated to news of another major carrier acquisition this week, but the would-be suitor’s board of directors walked away from the deal at the final hour, according to The Wall Street Journal. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse presented his board with a plan to acquire MetroPCS for up to $8 billion, but the board balked, ending a deal that had been in the works for several months.

Perhaps it was the fear of announcing a major deal during a mobile trade show — in retrospect, something that didn’t turn out so well for AT&T after it announced plans to acquire T-Mobile USA almost a year ago — but I think the board will eventually be vindicated for having avoided another catastrophe. Read more

**As published by RCR Wireless News**

On the surface, there isn’t much to suggest that this newly Democratic-led FCC will make any radical regulatory changes in the wireless industry. There is a loud camp cheering for new FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to take a more heavy-handed approach in wireless affairs, but popular opinion inside the Beltway paints a different picture.

While the President Obama appointee is digging into wireless matters such as competition, innovation and third-party application control perhaps more swiftly (and publicly) than his predecessor, the Federal Communications Commission is only asking questions at this point. Questions are cheap. Policymaking is an entirely different matter that must measure political fallout against results. And more important: the nation is still digging out of the greatest economic challenge since the Great Depression. Read more