Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CNN) - T-Mobile's mega-merger with Sprint can move forward, the Justice Department said Friday, paving the way for an unprecedented combination of America's third- and fourth-largest wireless providers.
For weeks, Sprint and T-Mobile have been negotiating an agreement with the DOJ to address concerns that the merger may harm competition.
Those airwaves could help rural Americans gain access to mobile Internet, according to the Justice Department.
The Sprint and T-Mobile merger would help fulfill those goals, he said.
The states, Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to a trial date of Oct. 7 in federal court in New York.