AT&T fires shots at FCC over its merger report

AT&T has responded to a report made public by the FCC regarding AT&T's proposed merger with T-Mobile. AT&T certainly doesn't hold anything back in its assessment of the FCC's report, and accuses the government agency of misrepresenting facts. But how much of the response is just smoke and mirrors and PR spin?

Many would argue that AT&T has met a lot of friction regarding the proposed deal, with other carrier CEOs, government institutions and the public in general expressing their concerns over the merger. Yet AT&T is adamant in pushing the deal through, even if it means a partnership or joint venture with T-Mobile if the merger deal isn't approved.

In its reponse, AT&T says that the FCC report is clearly "one-sided" and is not a careful analysis--instead, it is a "an advocacy piece."

Consider the following from AT&T:

We have summarized here only a portion of the infirmities we see in the FCC’s report.  We would encourage all observers to read the report itself.  We believe that the utter absence of balance is clear, and demonstrates that the document lacks all credibility.  The decision to issue such a report that has no legal status, without a vote of the Commission, and in a proceeding that has been withdrawn, was also without precedent, and underscores that this was intended more for advocacy and to impact public perceptions.

The problem is that AT&T still doesn't give enough facts to support its claims that the merger is in the general public's best interest, and that acquiring T-Mobile would help alleviate its current spectrum crisis.

The impression one gets from this report is that the finger-pointing is just going to go back and forth until the public's perception of the matter is one of total and utter confusion.

Image: Engadget