Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Justice to AT&T: So Much for Promises

August 31, 2011 | 1:20 PM

AT&T had been generous with its offers -- expanding ultra-fast 4G service to the rural cellphone users the Obama administration wants to reach, keeping unionized workers on the job to appease the CWA union, even, just this morning, promising to bring 5,000 call-center jobs back from overseas.

But the Justice Department nonetheless filed suit on Wednesday to block the merger.

AT&T's $15.4 million in lobbying last year and $4.8 million in the second quarter of this year appears to have done little good. Justice said the merger would reduce competition and raise prices.

Lobbyists appear to win out either way. T-Mobile USA's lobbying costs grew from $690,000 during the first three months of this year to $1 million in the second quarter, while Sprint's doubled, from $580,000 to $1.36 million from the first to second quarter as it fought against the deal.

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Juliana Gruenwald

Juliana Gruenwald

Tech Writer

E-Mail: jgruenwald@nationaljournal.com.


Juliana Gruenwald has been covering tech and telecom issues for more than a decade for National Journal, Interactive Week, BNA and Congressional Quarterly. This is her second stint with National Journal. She was recruited by NJ in 1998 to help launch its first tech policy publication, Technology Daily. She left in 2000 to cover international tech and telecom issues for Ziff Davis Media's Interactive Week magazine. She started her career at United Press International as the wire service's first Helen Thomas Intern. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. A Minneapolis native, she misses the lakes but not the cold.


Adam Mazmanian

Adam Mazmanian

Tech Correspondent

E-Mail: amazmanian@nationaljournal.com.


Adam Mazmanian reports on technology for National Journal. He comes to NJ from SmartBrief, where he was a senior editor on the advertising, media and digital beats. Before moving to Washington, D.C., he worked as worked in New York City as an editor at AOL, About.com and the alternative newsweekly New York Press. He’s contributed book reviews, pop music criticism and film writing to Washington City Paper, the Washington Times, the Washington Post, Newsday, Architect Magazine and elsewhere. He lives in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C. with his wife and son.


Josh Smith

Josh Smith

Tech Reporter

E-Mail: joshsmith@nationaljournal.com.


Josh Smith covers technology policy as a staff reporter for National Journal. He previously interned at National Journal Daily, a Senate press office, and the Deseret News in Salt Lake City where he covered the state legislature, courts, and crime. In 2009 he graduated with honors from Southern Utah University after managing an award-winning student newspaper as editor-in-chief. Josh has received state, regional and national awards for his political and policy reporting, including first place in CapitolBeat’s 2009 Best of Statehouse Reporting college competition. A native of drop-dead-gorgeous Utah, Josh lives in Virginia with his wife, Amber.