Verizon-Alltel: Bad for Customers?

Now that Verizon Wireless has announced it is acquiring Alltel to become the largest cell phone carrier nationwide, with a total subscriber count somewhere north of 80 million, CNET News is asking whether or not this is good for customers in the long run. The report said that the biggest fear for consumer advocates when companies merge is that consolidation means fewer choices for consumers, and fewer choices often leads to higher prices.