Lobbyists dial into debate on AT&T deal

Big corporate mergers usually pique the interest of a wide variety of interest groups, but eyebrows were raised when some of the first endorsements for AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA came from top black and Hispanic civil rights bodies, groups with little reason to take a position on the deal.

Days after AT&T made its takeover bid, the Hispanic Federation and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, both heavily Democratic-leaning bodies focused on issues of racial equality, waded in to the debate, lauding the benefits for their members. It followed a glowing endorsement last Sunday, the day the deal was announced, from the influential Communication Workers of America union. “Today’s announcement of the acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T is a victory for broadband proponents,” said Larry Cohen, president of the CWA. AT&T is the only major mobile phone operator to have a unionized workforce, so the CWA’s interest in the acquisition of a non-unionized company is clear. But there is no guarantee that T-Mobile USA staff will gain the same benefits as those enjoyed by AT&T workers, unless, analysts speculated, a deal had already been struck.

What these swift endorsements reflect is the deep network of lobbying power that AT&T has built up over the past decade, as it developed a reputation as one of the slickest political operatives on Capitol Hill.