By TALI ARBEL
AP Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Texas is joining more than a dozen states suing to stop T-Mobile's $26.5 billion takeover of rival Sprint, arguing that the deal is bad for consumers because it would reduce competition.

It's the first Republican attorney general of the group, which now consists of 14 states and the District of Columbia.

California, New York and now Texas are leading the states' case. The states are not satisfied with the Justice Department's approval of the deal last week.

The federal government's conditions would make satellite-TV company Dish a new U.S. wireless provider. Critics worry that because Dish would still be a weaker competitor than Sprint currently is, the deal would still lead to higher prices and fewer consumer perks.

T-Mobile says it won't finalize the deal while litigation is ongoing.

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