US Government Moves To Stop AT&T + T-Mobile Merger, AT&T Responds

Earlier this year, AT&T announced it would purchase the US branch of German carrier T-Mobile for as much as $39 Billion, merging both networks into one. In a surprising move, the US Government is filing a complaint in federal court in order to stop the merger.
This unexpected announcement suggests that the United States Department of Justice shares the fears of many consumer rights groups and technology enthusiasts who find this merger anti-competitive, as expressed by the DoJ in its filing:
"AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market"