Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
A coalition of advocacy groups, including the NAACP, Black Leadership Forum, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the National Council of Negro Women among others, encouraged the Federal Communications Commission to approve AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile USA, saying the merger was in the best interests of millions of African Americans.
The coalition told the FCC that the AT&T/T-Mobile deal will bring wireless Internet access to areas now lacking broadband, will save users money and will create new jobs nationwide.
“The merger of AT&T with T-Mobile USA stands to bring some much-needed relief to the African American community by helping to close the digital divide and increasing access to vital services in urban and rural communities,” wrote Hilary Shelton, senior vice president for advocacy for the NAACP, in a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The coalition pointed out that although African Americans are leaders in adopting wireless Internet access, they often must contend with poor service.
“Despite their high wireless adoption rate,” the coalition members told the FCC chairman, “African American wireless Internet users frequently contend with substandard and inconsistent access that plagues many urban and rural areas.”
The AT&T/T-Mobile merger can bring significant improvements, according to the coalition, because “if the T-Mobile purchase is approved, AT&T has made commitments to substantially increase broadband access to underserved areas and invest billions in infrastructure upgrades.”
The AT&T investment will provide upgrades to service, the coalition’s letter said, and “will lead to shovel-ready opportunities that put the unemployed back to work.”
The coalition also pointed out that AT&T has a demonstrated commitment to diversity in its hiring and in its selection of suppliers. “Minority- owned firms make up 20 percent of the company’s suppliers,” the coalition said, “and nearly 40 percent of AT&T’s employees are people of color.”
Joining Shelton of the NAACP in the letter were:
- Representative Barbara Ballard, president, National Black Caucus of State Legislators
- Senator Sharon Weston Broome, president, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women
- Vanessa Williams, executive director, National Conference of Black Mayors
- Commissioner Arlanda Williams, president, National Association of Black County Officials
- Danny Bakewell, chairman, National Newspaper Publishers Association
- Melanie Campbell, president & CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
- Dr. John Boyd, president, National Black Farmers Association
- Dr. Valerie White, chairwoman, Black College Communication Association
- Tommy Dortch, chairman, National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame.
- Ricardo Byrd, president, National Association of Neighborhoods
- Albert E. Dotson Jr., chairman, 100 Black Men of America
- Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever, executive director, National Council of Negro Women
- Gary Flowers, CEO, Black Leadership Forum
- Susan Taylor, founder & president, National Cares Mentoring Movemen
- Jesse Lee, executive director, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
- Dr. Howard Creecy, president, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
AT&T is one of the oldest of American communications companies, and T-Mobile USA is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, a German telecommunications giant. In March, AT&T offered to acquire T-Mobile USA for $39 billion in cash and stocks. If approved by the Federal Communications Commission, the deal will create the largest provider of wireless service in the nation, with a combined 130 million subscribers.
Respectfully,
Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.
Chairman