AT&T's $4,000 Cakewalk Through the FCC

AT&T delivered 133 boxes of Georgetown Cupcake treats -- valued at a whopping $3,703 (plus tax and delivery charges) -- to Federal Communications Commission officials.

A source said the cakes, featuring AT&T's logo, arrived Dec 15. Most of the boxes contained a dozen cakes, with a retail pricetag of $29. The offices of Chairman Julius Genachowski and all four commissioners each received a box of 12, as did the Office of Media Relations. The Office of General Counsel received two cartons (always best to stay on their good side) while the Enforcement Bureau received four boxes and two divisions of the Wireline Bureau pigged out on 54 cupcakes each. Public Knowledge spokesman Art Brodsky said the list was shared in good fun. "We attach no importance whatsoever" to AT&T's distribution of cupcakes, he quipped. But in a blog posting titled "Cupcakegate?," Robert Quinn, senior VP for federal regulatory at AT&T, accused the digital rights group of promoting an anti-cupcake agenda. "For many years AT&T has provided sweets to policymakers as well as journalists and others, who we work with daily.