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Mergers Fail to Deliver Consumer Promises
And AT&T/BellSouth will be no exception, says professors

The FCC should meet to vote and approve the AT&T and BellSouth merger next week, and all sides involved are working hard to inject their opinions into the discourse before the meeting. MarketWatch reports that 9 Southern Democratic Senators are urging quick approval, stating AT&T's concessions offer "significant new benefits."

As industry analyst Dave Burstein stated last week however, five of the six concessions AT&T suggests are things the telco was already doing. AT&T also claims that they will adhere to net-neutrality principles for 30 months post-merger, but since the FCC's principles are not legally binding, the promise is an empty one.

Buried among the comments to the FCC on the impact of the merger is this letter from three University of Texas professors, who suggest the merger should not be approved - regardless of conditions. To support their position, they look to past mergers:
"Our results establish that the mergers approved in the past have not created the expected synergy effects that are expected to arise when companies with complementary assets pool their assets together. Mergers have led to increased market power and, therefore, have been of harm to competition. What has increased for the merged firms have been their ability to generate relatively higher revenues relative to those that have not merged."
The central theme of the paper is that the promised benefits from telecom mergers are traditionally not realized, and in fact cause more harm than good. The professors expect the SBC & BellSouth merger to be no different:
"We find that the approval of the mergers in the past have clearly led to welfare losses for the American consumer. The approval of the ATT&T and SBC merger will lead to further substantial negative economic consequences for hundreds of millions of American consumers. Approval of the merger is not in the public interest."
Not everyone shares the professors' skepticism. Among those lobbying in support of the merger are groups like Jessie Jackson's Rainbow Push coalition. Jackson has been arguing the merger will expedite video competition and therefore improve the racial digital divide.
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mabell
@bellsouth.net

mabell

Anon

Get It Over With Already

It will go through no matter what. Just a bump in the road to get ma bell back together.

idiots
@verizon.net

idiots

Anon

Re: Get It Over With Already

No shit, why do they even bother telling us this stuff anymore, the pricks will do whatever the hell they want to and you should just bend over and take it. On the plus side it won't be too long before this once great country will probably be destroyed completely by all these greedy fuckers and we'll all be dead. lol

Fatal Vector
join:2005-11-26

Fatal Vector

Member

Re: Get It Over With Already



No, what will eventually happen is that our wages will go down because we cant compete wage wise with the rest of the world, we will loose all benefits provided by employers, there will be no such thing as a pension and it will be a case of if you cant/wont look out for yourself (personal freedom/responsability, as trumpeted by some here) you will be screwed.

Welcome to the brave new world of being a worker drone.

doc69
Premium Member
join:2004-08-01

doc69

Premium Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

said by Fatal Vector:

No, what will eventually happen is that our wages will go down because we cant compete wage wise with the rest of the world, we will loose all benefits provided by employers, there will be no such thing as a pension and it will be a case of if you cant/wont look out for yourself (personal freedom/responsability, as trumpeted by some here) you will be screwed.

Welcome to the brave new world of being a worker drone.
dont you mean already happened/happening?
59126125 (banned)
join:2006-01-21

59126125 (banned) to Fatal Vector

Member

to Fatal Vector
Yes, and you too can help speed up the process! Just follow these simple steps.

1. Make sure to only buy the cheapest imported goods.

2. If you actually vote, make sure to vote for politicians based on distractions like abortion, gay marriage, etc. don't concern yourself with issues like employment, outsourcing, etc.

3. Make sure to continue support for further funding cuts and increased tuition for education (except keep sports a top priority) and that emphasis is placed on standardized tests instead of that goofy learning stuff.

4. If the company you work for cuts your benefits and/or pay, make sure that other people lose them too, after all it's only fair.

5. Above all else, make sure that you constantly complain yet do nothing.

footballdude
Premium Member
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO

footballdude

Premium Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

said by 59126125:

If you actually vote, make sure to vote for politicians based on distractions like abortion, gay marriage, etc. don't concern yourself with issues like employment, outsourcing, etc.
So we should ignore the murder of innocents and concern ourselves only with money. Sounds like the very definition of selling our souls.
59126125 (banned)
join:2006-01-21

59126125 (banned)

Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

So we should ignore common sense and freedom, while pushing ones religion unto others instead?

footballdude
Premium Member
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO

footballdude

Premium Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

said by 59126125:

So we should ignore common sense and freedom, while pushing ones religion unto others instead?
Murdering a child is 'common sense and freedom'?
59126125 (banned)
join:2006-01-21

59126125 (banned)

Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

"common sense" dictates that a woman should have the right to choose since no individual situation is the same and she bears the weight of the ultimate decision. "freedom" dictates that one should be free to make a life choice without being made a criminal based on religious beliefs.

footballdude
Premium Member
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO

footballdude

Premium Member

Re: Get It Over With Already

said by 59126125:

"common sense" dictates that a woman should have the right to choose since no individual situation is the same and she bears the weight of the ultimate decision. "freedom" dictates that one should be free to make a life choice without being made a criminal based on religious beliefs.
Common sense would tell us that a child shouldn't be eliminated because of someone else's rights. Don't know why I'm bothering here......

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 recommendation

FFH5

Premium Member

WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

What a surprise. Three college professors are against a corporation making more profit. Will wonders never cease. And it is pretty ironic given that the typical college professor works about 12 hours per week and pulls down over a $100,000 per year minimum.

Minister
join:2002-01-02
Fleeting

1 recommendation

Minister

Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

What I like about your post is how you clearly and reasonably deconstruct their data, and don't use inflammatory hyperbole to cheaply discredit them as people.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

1 recommendation

DaveDude to FFH5

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to FFH5
Its true college professors somehow think they know everything, yet there purely agenda driven socialists, who only care is to indoctrinate college goers. I bet the solution is a state run phone system, funded by tax payer dollars.

karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
Moscow, ID

karlmarx to FFH5

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to FFH5
Maybe in your fantasy world, but the professors I know work 60+ hours per week, barely pull in 6 figures, but they are worth every penny. The professors aren't against corporations making a profit, but they ARE against the corps raping the common man. The common man, you know, like your manservant. It's too bad though, because the day will come very soon when the 'common man' is going to say enough is enough. In fact, that date is only a couple of weeks away!

All the fat cat republican scum are going to be kicked out of office come November. And all the corporate scumbags are going to get sent to prison, where they can hang out with bubba.

footballdude
Premium Member
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO

1 recommendation

footballdude

Premium Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

said by karlmarx:

All the fat cat republican scum are going to be kicked out of office come November.
Please come back and admit how wrong you were the day after the election.

Alpine6
Premium Member
join:2000-01-11
Atlanta, GA

Alpine6

Premium Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

said by footballdude:

said by karlmarx:

All the fat cat republican scum are going to be kicked out of office come November.
Please come back and admit how wrong you were the day after the election.
Personally, I think the Dems will take the House and gain in the Senate, but not enough to take over. I'm all for split government. I'm a libertarian more than anything. I can't stand either the Republicans or the Democrats these days.

The 'Pubs in power now drive me nuts over many issues, but then I look over to the Democrat site and think "how can those petty morons possibly do any better?" Both sides are an embarassment these days.

Adam

footballdude
Premium Member
join:2002-08-13
Imperial, MO

footballdude

Premium Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

said by Alpine6:

Personally, I think the Dems will take the House and gain in the Senate, but not enough to take over.
Rasmussen polling was very good in the last couple of elections. Their site shows the Senate races ending up with 48 Republicans, 47 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 4 races that are too close to call. Regardless of who wins the few contested seats, ridiculous statements like 'sweep the bums out' are just fantasy.

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

1 edit

rit56 to FFH5

Member

to FFH5
actually they're against a merger which will be approved that will create a bigger monopoly called AT&T and they will screw the public even more than they are now with even worse service, broadband to the affluent only...

remember when this was once a cool site? now it has been over run with pro corporate neo cons......

most posts are short and generally one sided because people just get worn out by the mindless dribble.

I would like to know if BBR has had an overall drop in visitors due to this.

Alpine6
Premium Member
join:2000-01-11
Atlanta, GA

1 recommendation

Alpine6

Premium Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - 3 college professors against corp. merger

said by rit56:

remember when this was once a cool site? now it has been over run with pro corporate neo cons......
Ha! Don't you mean "remember when the only people that came to this site were far left-wing, anti-corporation, pro-big government socialist hippies?"

Hell, this place is still 90% anti-corporate. There's just a hint of balance now.

Adam

Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL

Robert to FFH5

Premium Member

to FFH5
said by FFH5:

What a surprise. Three college professors are against a corporation making more profit. Will wonders never cease. And it is pretty ironic given that the typical college professor works about 12 hours per week and pulls down over a $100,000 per year minimum.
Please show me a professor that works 12 hours a week and gets $100,00 per year MINIMUM. As a college student, my professors are putting in between 8-12 hours PER DAY.

Or did you mean part-time professors? No, wait, you couldnt have sinced you stated that they make a min of $100k per year.

garagerock
Premium Member
join:2002-06-14
Louisville, KY

garagerock to FFH5

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to FFH5
»www.ehow.com/how_11156_r ··· ges.html

Hardly. What factual information do you base that gumption on?
Zoder
join:2002-04-16
Miami, FL

Zoder

Member

Jackson is dreaming

if he thinks the merger will bring video competition to the people his group represents. With state franchises, AT&T will have no incentive to deploy U-verse in poor neighborhoods.
ashworth7
join:2001-10-06
Pittsburgh, PA

ashworth7

Member

Rainbow Coalition Involved ??

This seems terribly amusing to me that Jesse Jackson would even have a comment on this. Mr. Jackson has a habit of taking money (for Rainbow) from large corporations and extorting favors to promote his agenda. The digital divide isn't in color..... it's in who can afford the services, white, black, Hispanic or whoever .... God Bless !!

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

Re: Rainbow Coalition Involved ??

do you mean he has a habit of extorting money from large corporations to promote his own agenda like Tom Delay, Bob Ney, and the rest of this republican administration, the most corrupt in American history. it's not so easy to blame the black guy with all these indited and soon to be indited white dudes huh?
ashworth7
join:2001-10-06
Pittsburgh, PA

1 edit

ashworth7

Member

Re: Rainbow Coalition Involved ??

That's exactly what I mean.... Jackson is corrupt and probably the others you speak of, but Jackson is the topic here....... by the way the word is indicted.

Maxo
Your tax dollars at work.
Premium Member
join:2002-11-04
Tallahassee, FL

Maxo to ashworth7

Premium Member

to ashworth7
said by ashworth7:

This seems terribly amusing to me that Jesse Jackson would even have a comment on this.
Yeah, talk about playing the race card were it doesn't belong. This is just as ridiculous as Bush playing the terrorism card in places terrorism is totally unrelated.
Techman21
join:2005-04-14
Richmond, VA

Techman21

Member

Wow, bash away

Hrmm..seems to me I recall a merger not long ago that doesn't seem to have benefited customers all that well. Anyone recall Time Warner and AOL? What about that deal between Comcast and Time Warner to buy out Adelphia?

All though that last one could be a bad example, depending how it fared for certain people in various areas.

The only real reason for many of these companies to merge is to consume their competition and reap more profit. I don't ever recall a merger taking place solely to benefit the consumer. That is not what big business is designed to do. They are beholden to their share holders and could care less what the "lowly" consumer really wants. Otherwise we'd get listened to much more often.

rit56
join:2000-12-01
New York, NY

rit56

Member

Re: Wow, bash away

and we would have better service.

karlmarx
join:2006-09-18
Moscow, ID

karlmarx

Member

WOW, Shocking - A right wing nutcase neo-con supports it

What a surprise. A nut case neo-con is supporting a corporation ripping off MORE people. Will wonders never cease. And it is pretty ironic given that the typical neo-con astroturfer works about 12 hours per week and pulls down over a $1,000 per year minimum.
ShadezeRO
join:2006-04-24
Fort Lauderdale, FL

ShadezeRO

Member

Re: WOW, Shocking - A right wing nutcase neo-con supports it

I doubt that the consumers will actually receive any benefits from this merger. All of it is just to make them look better. AT&T even said, they have no reason to give consumers DSL faster then 6.0Mbps.

I've had AT&T DSL before. It's actually pretty good. I needed a temp line so I got their 1.5/1 Plan. And that 1Mb upload was great.

But, they were a monopoly back in the day, and are trying to relive those times.

But that's just my 2cents.

DiscardedVet
Premium Member
join:2005-04-06
Sturgis, SD

DiscardedVet

Premium Member

Unwilling To Learn


Obviously, as history is repeating itself.

Ugh

DV