The Best Merger Support AT&T Money Can Buy Post Highlights AT&T's Parrots for Hire We've talked at length over the years about how companies like AT&T and Verizon not only create completely artificial consumer groups to push policy positions, but they co-opt existing legitimate groups to parrot the companies opinions as well. Charities and foundations eager to keep the AT&T cash flowing are often quick to support any policy the company suggests, even if it runs in stark opposition to their constituent interests, and will usually simply issue a form letter of support written by AT&T. The result is a "sound wall" of support for whatever policy the company is pushing at the time, when in reality support for these policies may be limited or non-existent. The Washington Post highlights how AT&T's pulling out all the usual stops with the very unpopular T-Mobile deal, getting groups ranging from the Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce to the Urban League of Portland to repeat AT&T's talking points (we've also discussed AT&T's use of Latino organizations). The Post notes that AT&T spent $6.8 million in the first three months of 2011 on lobbyists and lawyers, compared to Sprint's $583,000.
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 | | | back in my day Back in the decade or so that I worked for at&t ... the company really, really pushed employees to support the company's position on whatever.
They would send out blanket e-mails to EVERY management employee, demanding that you send some letter to your congressional representatives.
The United Way giving campaign really got my goat. My boss at the time actually threatened my job, unless I donated some percent of each paycheck to United Way.
I found this, and a handful of other "policies" more than inappropriate.
at&t doesn't get so much as one red cent, directly from my pocket, these days.
at&t can eat my shorts!
Down with Ma' Bell!
Death to at&t! | |
|  |  CylonRedPremium,MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County | Re: back in my day quote:
The United Way giving campaign really got my goat. My boss at the time actually threatened my job, unless I donated some percent of each paycheck to United Way.
Hated that as well - high pressure tactics to get you on board because United way pressured every company to have 100% compliance. Luckily - mine was a part time job in college and never gave - I needed the money to live on...
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Brian
"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain | |
| | | | said by t3ln3t :My boss at the time actually threatened my job, unless I donated some percent of each paycheck to United Way. The sad thing is that while he could not have legally fired you for failure to contribute, he could have just gotten you for something else if you did not do as he "suggested".
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Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies...
A MESSAGE to the RIAA and the MPAA: You shouldn't wound what you can't kill... | |
| | | | | Re: back in my day ya i understand i work for an isp callcenter what few are in usa for now they try to push that at us too. but sorry callcenter job pay sucks now but its a job i need. They can mess with your stats the center grades your job by. | |
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|  n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| said by t3ln3tThe United Way giving campaign really got my goat. My boss at the time actually threatened my job, unless I donated some percent of each paycheck to United Way.[/BQUOTE :My firm was the same way too. United Way has a program called "Fair Share" whose name really irked me. Like there was something fair about giving versus not giving. Regardless I did contribute for a few years until 1992 when the big scandal erupted with the then head of UW flying First Class everywhere, paying premium prices for various novelties to be manufactured by friends companies, etc. I said f___ this and took the money I was donating to UW and started donating it to my church. There I have input (my particular Protestant denomination) in how it is spent. Plus I later served on my Church's board that distributed money to needy organizations so I could see directly how it was being spent.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. | |
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| | This is exactly why this deal shouldn't be allowed The fact that AT&T has to pay organisations to lie and say they support the deal and want AT&T to buy tmobile-usa is plain reason the FCC should stop this deal. From what I have been reading all over web and read on this site, no one wants the deal to take place. Especially coming from tmobile customers and people who work for tmobile that will be probably losing there jobs if this merger is allowed to happen. How about the FCC mandate a poll that tmobile-usa must implement to see the real sentiments of customers who are for this deal and those that are not for this deal. The FCC could tell tmobile-usa to send an ota text message question to every single tmobile customer's phones, like: "are you for the merger of tmobile-usa with at&t" a person has option to answer no or yes, simple. With every response the, the reply is sent to a computer system that tallies the votes and that way the FCC can get a real representation of what customers feel about deal. This wouldn't cost money b/c tmobile-usa already sends out computerised text message confirmation after you pay there bill each month so would cost tmobile-usa small amount or nothing at all. | |
| | Reviews:
·Comcast
 ·T-Mobile US
| Re: This is exactly why this deal shouldn't be allowed that a pretty reasonable idea, or Id be in tune for a quick online website poll to enter your vote however you must enter your tmobile sim number in a character box for verification and only sim cards activated before a certain date are eligible to enter so ATT cant stuff the ballot box ( which we know they would) , also this way prepaid and contract customers will be entered equally. | |
|
ackman
join:2000-10-04
Acworth, GA | Follow the money 7 words:
-- Campaign finance reform
-- Corporations are not people | |
| | Alky
join:2001-08-12
Cleveland, OH | Re: Follow the money $6.8 million in lobbying alone. Imagine what at&t could do with that money on upgrading their *congested* (cough,cough) network. Un-f**king believable. | |
| | | | | Re: Follow the money ... and that's just 3 months worth in lobbying. holy hell. | |
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| | | its funny b/c they claim corporations are people, but large corporations like at&t and others don't want to pay tax on huge money they make each year and instead get tax breaks. I say if they want to label corporations as people then they should be taxed 200% to 300% for the year. The reason is b/c no single person in reality could be able to acquire so many billions in profit by working for a year, so if they want to be considered people they should be taxed heavily to minimise the power they have with the amount of money they hold. | |
| | | ackman
join:2000-10-04
Acworth, GA | Re: Follow the money and funny, too, that we play the "world police", yet our Congress and Supreme Court are of the most corrupted institutions in the world. We physicians need to heal thyselves... | |
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| | astroturfing this is why I dont join organizations that claim to speak "for" me and all their members or take positions on things that are unrelated to their core purpose and mission. If the majority of the membership wants to be whores for ATT, then fine. Otherwise keep quiet and butt out. | |
|  GNHTesla RecoiledPremium
join:1999-12-20
Arlington, TX | Merge Away! It's a vast byte-wing conspiracy... | |
| | | Of the 6.8 million... how much of it went under the table to various members of Congress and the FCC? It's more efficient to cut the middleman and just bribe Congress. | |
| | | dont waste your time bitching on broadband reports just go here »attmobile.savetheinternet.com/?s···homepage
»www.wirelessweek.com/News/2011/0···ernment/
On Monday, 88 people filed comments with the FCC on AT&T's buyout of T-Mobile USA.
On Tuesday, 92 people filed comments on the deal.
Then things started to escalate. On Wednesday, 4,397 comments were filed on the merger, and by Thursday the FCC was inundated with comments from more than 10,000 people opposed to the merger.
The skyrocketing number of comments filed with the FCC about AT&T's massive $39 billion takeover of T-Mobile can be largely attributed to the efforts of media reform group Free Press.
On Wednesday, Free Press' Save the Internet campaign launched a website that made it easier for people to send their comments about the merger to the FCC. The FCC has its own commenting system, but it is more complicated than the interface set up by Free Press.
"Since the tools the FCC provides can be confusing, we've created a more user-friendly Web interface that allows them to comment as easily as possible," says Free Press campaign manager Timothy Karr. | |
| | |  From Sen. Feinstein to me re ATT & T mobile
To: me
Subject: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message
Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:41:58 -0400
Dear Mr. ____
Thank you for writing to express your concerns regarding the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile USA. I appreciate the time you took to share your views with me, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
On March 20, 2011, AT&T, the second-largest wireless operator in the United States, announced that it had entered into an agreement with Deutsche Telekom AG to purchase T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest wireless operator. As you may know, the U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing antitrust statues and carefully reviews the potential implication of mergers on consumers and businesses, while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ensures that the transfer of spectrum licenses are awarded in a fashion that is in the public interest.
I recognize your concerns about the effects of allowing a smaller number of companies to control a larger share of the wireless phone market. As a member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which conducts oversight of many antitrust and merger issues, I am following this merger with great interest and am committed to supporting policies that promote a competitive marketplace and protect the interests of consumers in California and throughout the United States.
On April 14, 2011, the FCC issued a public notice, which allows for public comment on the proposed merger. I encourage you to share your comments with the FCC directly. If you write a letter, please be sure to include the docket number 11-65. Public comments can be directed to the FCC at the following address:
Federal Communications Commission
Attn: Office of the Secretary
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
Telephone: 1-888-225-5322 or 1-888-835-5322 TTY
Website: »fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/
Additionally, although the Justice Department has yet to open a formal review, I would encourage you to share your comments with the agency directly. You may contact the Justice Department by telephone (888) 647-3258, or by email at antitrust.complaints@usdoj.gov.
Once again, thank you for your letter. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Further information about my position on issues of concern to California and the Nation are available at my website, Feinstein.senate.gov. You can also receive electronic e-mail updates by subscribing to my e-mail list. Click here to sign up. Feel free to checkout my YouTube Page.
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