AT&T’s T-Mobile Bid Backed By Facebook, Microsoft, RIM And Others.

AT&T’s T-Mobile Bid http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
AT&T has been lobbying and running circles trying to get the AT&T’s T-Mobile Bid worked out. Today it even got it's friends, very powerful ones to write to FCC in behalf of it, and the merger. The group included Facebook and Microsoft, and 10 venture capital firms, Others include Yahoo, Oracle and the Research in Motion as mentioned before. (I wonder where Apple is? has the friendship withered?)
The $39 Billion AT&T and T-Mobile  merger will work out best for both parties but many others like consumer groups and other wireless companies like Sprint are crying foul. I too think the deal will give too much power to AT&T and revive the "MA Bell" in the wireless form. Most of all it prevents me from leaving AT&T and joining T-Mobile, which I was planing.
According to NYTimes, Microsoft has orchestrated the whole letter writing and drawing the support. Microsoft approached technology companies who stand to gain from the deal, to support it, and has received quick and positive replies. Microsoft also has contacted several trade associations to which it belongs, letting them know of the company’s position.
As I mentioned before Apple has not signed the letter and there are no answers to it as yet.

Here is one of the letters (Microsoft) Other letters at the link below the letter.

Julius Genachowski, Chairman

          Federal Communications Commission

445 12th Street, SWWashington, D.C. 20554

June 6, 2011

WT 11-65: In the Matter of applications of AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG for consent toassign or Transfer Control of licenses and Authorizations

Dear Mr. Chairman,
Today, consumers are increasingly using smart phones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices to wirelessly connect to the Internet and to each other. We expect access to our content, information and services wherever we are. As a result, consumer demand for wireless broadband is dramatically increasing and our wireless networks are struggling to keep pace with the demand. Given the network capacity challenges, policymakers must give meaningful consideration to AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile as a means of addressing their near term wireless broadband capacity needs.

Despite the network challenges presented by the surging consumer demand, the United States must continue to lead in wireless broadband technologies. U.S. companies are at the forefront of driving innovations in devices, applications and services and an ever evolving wireless network is essential to realizing new and innovative offerings. An increasingly robust and efficient wireless network is part of a virtuous innovation cycle and a healthy wireless ecosystem is an important part of our global competitiveness.

AT&T ’s acquisition of T-Mobile represents a near term means of addressing the rising consumer demand. For example, the merged company will be able to leverage a larger network of cell sites allowing greater reuse of spectrum and increasing the wireless broadband capacity of the network. Furthermore, AT&T has indicated that it will migrate the T-Mobile network to LTE technology and offer LTE-based wireless broadband to 97.3 percent of the U.S.population. AT&T has stated that its LTE deployment will bring significant benefits to residents of rural areas and smaller communities, where the benefits of real-time video and similar capabilities are most urgently needed to fill gaps in physical infrastructure for healthcare,education, and other social needs.

The challenge of keeping pace with consumer demand and continuing to lead globally in wireless broadband services and products requires that we tackle the issue on multiple fronts.Many policy related efforts will not be able to quickly address near term capacity needs. The FCC must seriously weigh the benefits of this merger and approve it. Such action will help to meet the near term wireless broadband needs of consumers and ensure that we are globally competitive as the world increasingly embraces wireless broadband connectivity.

Sincerely,

CC:

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn
Commissioner Michael Copps
Commissioner Robert McDowell


NYTimes