T-Mobile | Be a Seed for Change

An exciting new ally joined the fight to stop AT&T’s dangerous merger with T-Mobile: the United Stated Department of Justice. Arguing that the merger would crush competition and lead to higher prices, the DOJ filed a lawsuit in Federal court to block the merger, dealing it a major blow.1

This is an important victory in our fight to protect the ability of poor folks and communities of color to use the Internet to make a better life for themselves. If AT&T were allowed to purchase T-Mobile, it would have a terrible impact on jobs, affordability, and Internet freedom.

Instead, the case will take months to wind its way through the court system. And the Federal Communications Commission, which also has authority over the proposed deal, has publicly indicated its own deep misgivings.2 None of this could have happened without the massive public outcry from ColorOfChange members, and our friends and allies. Thank you.

This fight isn’t over yet. We can’t predict how the lawsuit will turn out, and it’s important that we remain vigilant. AT&T is expected to fight the DOJ’s decision tooth and nail, and it remains possible that the DOJ and AT&T could hammer out a deal that leads the DOJ to drop its opposition. And 76 Democratic members of Congress are still on record supporting the deal. It’s critical that we continue to expose their false arguments in support of the merger and keep pushing them to withdraw their support.

AT&T has spent millions on lobbying and PR to advance its agenda, and it will continue to use its vast resources to twist the facts and mislead the public. Our work is powered by you, our members, and we need your support to keep fighting back. Your voice has been a powerful force in this fight. If you can also support our work financially, in any amount, please click the link below:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

We’ll

be sure keep you up to date with any new opportunities to take action. At ColorOfChange, we will continue to stand up for everyone’s right to access a free and open Internet, and we hope you will continue to be there with us.

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 2nd, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References:

1. “U.S. sues to block AT&T buying T-Mobile,” MarketWatch, 8-31-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/952?akid=2150.1174326.zFs-xm&t=4

. “FCC Still Reviewing AT&T’s T-Mobile Deal After Justice’s Antitrust Action,” Bloomberg, 8-31-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/953?akid=2150.1174326.zFs-xm&t=6

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If you’ve been keeping up with the fight to stop media consolidation, you know what we’re worried about: the prospect of just a few enormous corporations controlling the flow of information in America.

That’s why the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile is a really, really bad idea.

It would create a wireless juggernaut so powerful that only Verizon could hope to compete (Sprint would likely wither away or get eaten up by one of the new Big Two). These two monoliths could raise prices or reduce the quality of service with no concern that their customers will go somewhere else — because there won’t be anywhere else for them to go. This is bad for consumers, obviously — but it’s also bad for an industry so critical to our economy.

Meanwhile, the merger would be a bad blow for net neutrality, allowing the Big Two unprecedented control over what content we can access on wireless networks — and at what speed.

And if that weren’t enough, AT&T estimates that it will save $3 billion a year in “operational savings” and “cost synergies,” which sounds to me like layoffs, and lots of them — maybe thousands or even tens of thousands of lost jobs.

Let’s see — higher prices, worse service, less innovation, reduced competition, AND lost jobs? Sounds like a really, really bad idea to me.

I’m going to fight this merger, and I hope you’re ready to help. Stay tuned.

Thanks,

PS: Our efforts are not funded by corporations and massive unlimited contributions, we rely on small individual donations from supporters like you. Can you pitch in $5 or $10 to help us keep growing our grassroots team?