MADCo Members Respond to FCC Chairman's Call for Hearing on AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

November 23, 2011
 
Alliance for Community Media

    We want to thank the FCC for taking this step to protect the citizens of this country.  AT&T’s ongoing discriminatory treatment toward non-commercial public, educational and governmental cable channels has informed us of their business practices and lack of concern for local communities.

        Sylvia Strobel, Executive Director

Center for Media Justice

    We applaud the FCC chairman for putting people before profits and standing up to AT&T and a merger that was a jobs and democracy killer. We’re happy the FCC listened to the voices of working people across this country, and especially to the voices of historically marginalized communities who will undoubtedly disproportionately bear the burden of this merger.  This decision shows the FCC understands that a merger like this will only lead to higher prices, less competition and is not good for our communities or our country.

        amalia deloney, Media Policy Field Director

Consumers Union

    We applaud the Chairman’s initiative to recommend a hearing looking in to the proposed merger. This move recognizes that the merger raises concerns and questions for policymakers and consumers alike and, in turn, deserves the highest level of review. We believe it is critical for the FCC to examine the consequences of a combined AT&T/T-Mobile, including higher prices, fewer choices, and the negative impact on competition in the wireless market -- all which make it clear that this merger is simply not in the public’s best interest.

    ...The most recent cell-phone satisfaction survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center shows that AT&T got lower marks than T-Mobile on almost every attribute rated, suggesting the proposed merger would be a setback to T-Mobile customers if it lead to service more resembling AT&T’s than T-Mobile’s.

        Parul Desai, Policy Counsel

Free Press

    We applaud the FCC chairman for standing up for the public interest and saving American jobs, despite intense pressure from AT&T’s army of lobbyists. We are pleased that Chairman Genachowski sees through AT&T’s blatant lies and misleading advertising campaign, because there is no disputing that this merger would kill tens of thousands of jobs, raise prices for consumers and kill competition in the wireless market. The Department of Justice and the FCC both agree that this merger is a bad deal, and it’s time for AT&T to walk away.

        Craig Aaron, President and CEO

Future of Music Coalition

    We applaud Chairman Julius Genachowski’s decision to move to a hearing designation, which we see as a clear recognition of the many reasons the proposed merger would negatively impact the marketplace. It is incredibly important to America’s creative entrepreneurs that access and innovation are maintained in this crucial space.

    Greater concentration in the wireless sector would leave just a few providers free to act as gatekeepers on an important platform for creativity and commerce. Today’s announcement is good news for musicians and creative entrepreneurs whose ability to reach audiences increasingly depends on affordable and robust wireless connectivity.

        Casey Rae-Hunter, Deputy Director

Media Access Project

    Even though this was something that we have expected all along, it is very promising that the FCC will be taking a hard look at the AT&T/T-Mobile transaction. It means the FCC has found merit in our arguments that a combined AT&T/T-Mobile will create a duopoly in the wireless market which will increase prices for service and for handsets.

    MAP is particularly pleased that the Commission appears to have been unswayed by AT&T’s highly misleading TV and radio advertisements falsely claiming that the merger would create "up to 96,000 jobs". In fact, as MAP explained in letters to TV stations the highly dubious study on which AT&T relied actually claimed that the merger would generate 96,000 job years.

        Andrew Jay Schwartzman, Senior Vice-President and Policy Director

Media Literacy Project

    As the holiday season approaches, economic stability is more important to New Mexico families than ever. With 2,000 jobs on the line for our state if the proposed merger goes through, Media Literacy Project applauds the Federal Communication Commission’s decision to hold a hearing. As the process moves forward, we hope the FCC will do right by all of America’s working families and prioritize our needs over AT&T’s bottom line.

    In New Mexico, the most underrepresented people are also the most underserved by AT&T. We don’t see any merger scenario in which they will provide better service at a lower cost with less competition. We are happy to learn that the FCC shares the same concerns.

        Andrea Quijada, Executive Director

National Hispanic Media Coalition

    NHMC applauds the FCC for protecting the American people from this takeover, which would have saddled all wireless consumers with higher prices and fewer choices. Latinos would have felt the effects of this takeover, both in terms of job loss and price increases, so we are pleased to see the DOJ and the FCC take such strong action to preserve competition and American jobs.

        Jessica J. Gonzalez, Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs

Public Knowledge

    Chairman Genachowski is to be applauded for standing up to AT&T's lobbying machine and moving forward to a hearing designation. We hope that the other Commissioners will follow the Chairman's lead and move swiftly to vote the hearing designation order.

    Public Knowledge has said since the Department of Justice filed its suit, the law clearly requires the FCC to hold an evidentiary hearing. Having a formal, administrative hearing will allow AT&T to present publicly the evidence it thinks it has on any number of issues, up to and including, the claims that the takeover will result in the creation of jobs -- a result that would run contrary to every other takeover AT&T has engineered.  There is ample evidence in the record that this deal would destroy jobs.

        Gigi Sohn, President and Co-founder