Minneapolis—AT&T’s decision to drop its T-Mobile acquisition deal is a “big victory for the people,” according to SAA Executive Director Hashi Shafi. (The Somali Action Alliance is one of a number of local grassroots organizations in Minnesota that have criticized the deal.
Shafi said the $39 billion deal would raise prices and threaten the jobs of hundreds of thousands, including people of color who are not union members.
Somali Action Alliance has campaigned along with more than 100 other community organizations to block the agreement which if passed, would eliminate competition between major network carriers.
AT&T, which would have become the U.S. market leader if the deal was successful, seemed to be confident that it would win approval from regulators and promised a package of $4 billion for major operator, Deutsche Telekom this quarter.
Director Shafi said that corporate greed is not a solution to today’s financial crisis, especially when it comes to equality since the deal would push thousands of people of color — including immigrants — into poverty.
The proposed merger met with resistance from the Federal Communications Commission, the United States Department of Justice, and members of Congress, who all expressed concerns that AT&T’s plans were not in the public interest.
But without question, this hard-fought victory was due to months of work by grassroots organizations that knew from the beginning that more mergers would mean more problems for everyday people. “The now defunct merger had little to do with basic cell phone services in this U.S. This bid was about how generations of community would access the Internet,” said DeAnne Cuellar, Executive Director of Media Justice League. “We’re pleased that millions of South Texans will enter the New Year with more, instead of fewer, options to access mobile broadband.”
Community members raised the alarm all over the country that consolidating two of the four major cell phone carriers would result in less competition, fewer options and higher prices for the 99%.
“We are inspired by the voice and actions of so many within our communities that rose up as a collective force to help push federal officials to act in the public interest,” said Carlos Pareja, Training and Policy Director for People’s Production House.
“We must continue the struggle so that our cellular airwaves are recognized as the public spaces and virtual town squares they are. We’ve seen how the only unfiltered story may be a live stream from a cell phone. What we hold in our hands therefore must be recognized as an instrument that supports democracy and free speech. This move to maintain more diversity in the cell phone market is a positive step in that direction”.
This report includes information from The Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net), a local-to-local advocacy network of over 100 grassroots community organizations working together for media change to end poverty, eliminate racism, and ensure human rights
