Posted on 09/18/2011 7:03:25 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Here is one more thing Rick Perry and some Democrats have in common: staunchly supporting AT&T's proposed merger with T-Mobile.
Yet another thing they have in common? Receiving generous contributions from AT&T in recent years.
On Thursday, North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler joined 15 other House Democrats to write a pro-AT&T T-Mobile merger letter to President Obama. The letter rehashed AT&T's PR spin about how the deal would create jobs and bring more high-speed wireless coverage to America.
Save the Internet pointed out that these Democratic politicians have collectively received $570,000 in campaign contributions from AT&T.
"Either these members of Congress actually believe in the fantasies AT&T cooks up, or they are so worried that AT&T will turn off its spigot of campaign contributions that they'll sign anything the telecom puts in front of them," wrote the coalition.
GOP 2012 hopeful Rick Perry, meanwhile, wrote a pro-AT&T T-Mobile merger letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in his official capacity as the Texas Governor in May. Perry touted Texas' record of job creation and also parroted AT&T's PR spin of creating more jobs in the letter.
The National Journal, however, highlighted that Perry received over $500,000 from AT&T's political action committee over the last decade.
"This is just one more example of Rick Perry's pay-to-play network that represents the same old type of lobbyist-first politics," Ty Matsdorf, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic opposition research organization, told National Journal.
Any way you slice it, the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is a bad deal for America.
The merger will not bring high-speed coverage to America faster; competition will.
The merger will not guarantee more jobs; common sense and historic examples tell us that mergers usually kill jobs.
Does AT&T promise more jobs in the long-term? So did Vice President Joe Biden with Solyndra.
The merger, moreover, will stifle innovation and raise prices for American consumers in the long-term, even if AT&T temporarily promises to keep T-Mobile's cheap subscription rates.
Shrinking an already concentrated industry from four major players to three - while catapulting one of them to hold a meaningful size advantage over the others - is bad for America and bad for capitalism.
Any basic economics class will tell you that.
It's called being anti-competitive; it's why the Department of Justice broke up Ma Bell in the first place in the 1980s.
"The facts don't support this merger, and AT&T knows it. So it's turning to old tricks like getting its paid-for cronies to sign a nonsensical letter of support. Repeating lies ad nauseam is standard stuff for AT&T, but we should expect more from our elected officials," wrote Save the Internet.
Isn’t ATT headquartered in TX somewhere? It would make sense that he is beneficiary of their political dollars, no?
I say let 'em merge.
Dallas.
San Antonio.
AT&T and Verizon both were planning rate hikes after the merger.
It just seems like yesterday when a Federal Judge ordered the Breakup of AT & T. How time flies.
How is it that Democrats support the merger? Obama admin stopped it.
The writer obviously has a preconceived thesis and is trying to retrofit.
And if there's one thing Gooniuns don't give a flying fig about, it's competition.
I say let 'em merge.
Carry on.
When is the coffee going to kick in?
Is there some reason to not support it?
I’m an AT&T stock holder, and I support it.
Does AT&T promise more jobs in the long-term? So did Vice President Joe Biden with Solyndra.
Useless argument, as far as logic goes. The rejoinder has the effect of undermining ANY promise of jobs by ANYBODY, ANYWHERE: "Does ______ promise more jobs in the long-term? So did Vice President Joe Biden with Solyndra." [cue ominous music]
I really do want to know about Perry's dirty laundry if it's there, but I'd rather read about it in an article that's a little higher on the intellect scale.
Yes, its HQ is in Dallas. And T-Mobile has an operation in Frisco, just north of Dallas, which will probably fall apart if T-Mobile doesnt merge. T-Mobile is HQ in Seattle, and they are not doing so hot right now. So if the AT&T merger happens, some of the Frisco office employees will be able to transfer over to the Dallas AT&T office.
Seems a good time to note that both companies outsource significant numbers of jobs overseas, mostly India in the past but its now others.
I have a friend in India who pays $1/month for 250 mins on his cell phone. Sorry I don’t have a link to prove this as my friend won’t give me his login.
Just throwing crap at the wall to see if any of it sticks. Not surprising for a Saint Sarah supporter.
Yes the 0bama-Holder DoJ is opposing the merger.
Wow you really DO have a crush on Bachmann.
In 10 years, when there are only two US communications companies, the government will break them up again. To me, the merger is about two things. T-Mobile is looking for a good way to divest itself, and now it has one. And AT&T wants T-Mobile’s infrastructure.
Unions don’t really care because they win either way.
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