I just received this email from Free Press:
After tens of thousands of Free Press activists told the FCC to oppose AT&T’s takeover of T-Mobile, one of the company’s top lobbyists had the gall to tell the media that our opinions don’t matter.
Can you believe it? Nine out of every 10 people commenting to the FCC are against the mega-merger, and the higher prices and lack of choices it would force upon us. You have been so successful in protesting this bad deal that now AT&T is attacking you . . . AT&T has become so desperate to spin this merger as good for Americans that it’s resorting to lies, bribery and deception:
1. When pressed about the overwhelming public opposition to the merger, AT&T lobbyist Bob Quinn said, “It’s not a public opinion poll,” and that our comments don’t matter!
2. AT&T has pressured not-for-profit groups that collectively receive $62 million in funding from the company to sign form letters in support of the merger, despite strong opposition from their members.
3. When Free Press confronted AT&T with indisputable evidence that the gobbling up of a competitor will result in fewer choices, not more, AT&T doubled down on its lie, claiming that we were “long on rhetoric and short on substance.”
It’s clear that AT&T can’t win approval of this deal by telling the truth. That’s why it spent more than $200 million on lobbyists and campaign contributions over the years — to get Washington to look the other way and do whatever AT&T says.
This deception has to stop. I urge you to donate $50.00 to support our newest push to expose AT&T’s lies and educate more people about the harms of this mega-merger.
Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press Action Fund
