Black Caucus a player in AT&T|T-Mobile merger

[Commentary] What do the Congressional Black Caucus and AT&T have in common? They share an “interest” in expanding broadband access and diminishing the nation’s digital divide.

If the omnivorous AT&T wants to gobble up T-Mobile, it should include a little healthy altruism in its diet. Universal and cheap broadband would help. The nation’s inner cities suffer from countless festering maladies -- joblessness, troubled schools, wealth inequalities, just off the top. Securing digital connectivity among low-income and minority communities is a solvable problem. A 2009 study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Iowa found that 40 percent of all Chicagoans have little or no Internet access. Surveys showed that one in four Chicagoans are completely offline and another 15 percent have limited access. How about free Internet access for our kids? Enter the Congressional Black Caucus. Its 43 members represent urban and minority constituents in dire need of an economic lifeline across the digital divide. It can deploy its brand to provide cover for long-maligned corporate behemoths like AT&T. The caucus’ clout could be crucial to congressional approval. African-American political leadership is well-positioned to extract a pound of flesh in return for a helping hand. The merger partners want this one. Badly. They are eager to plow massive cash into winning congressional and government approval. This deal is a no-brainer for congressional Republicans, but a strange-bedfellow partnership between AT&T and black congressional leaders could help sway the U.S. Senate’s Democratic majority and build momentum for regulatory approval. It’s a historic opportunity for the CBC to reach out and touch the constituents it purports to serve. Free or reduced-rate Internet access can level the playing field for the digitally disadvantaged.