That guy we've been having trouble with needs a favor . . .
Posted on 06/08/2015 4:55:37 PM PDT by Nachum
AT&T wants to make a deal. America's second-largest mobile telephone provider and its largest landline provider wants to purchase DirecTV, the satellite television provider, for $49 billion.
Regulators routinely have to sign off on such mega-deals. At least in theory, they do so in the interest of protecting the freedom of the marketplace from monopolistic practices.
But in this case, the regulators are not protecting consumers — instead, the Washington Post reported last week, the Federal Communications Commission appears to be using this deal as a bargaining chip to buy off one of the larger and better-funded sources of opposition to its Democratic commissioners' net neutrality agenda.
Essentially, it appears that AT&T will get its deal as long as it agrees to stop resisting and accept the FCC's restrictions on its Internet service. It's a quid pro quo in which the regulators make trades to increase their own power instead of protecting consumers.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
The list, Ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
I think the term is extortion.
Bump
Some of these trends may not even have begun with Democrats. But they reach their peak of audacity there.
That guy we've been having trouble with needs a favor . . .
facisism
Was about to post the same thing.
It is time to rigorously enforce the Sherman Antitrust act before everything is sold and there is nothing left to buy.
Anti-trust laws don’t have much effect in an industry that has already been turned into an oligopoly by regulatory agency fiat.
The continued corporate sell out of liberty.
Ma Bell is back from the grave.
Yeah, sadly you are correct. A bit of my reaching at straws there. *sigh*
Pay to play is the big government way.
I’ve got AT&T for my biz 800 service and my family plan cell service. Been happy with them forever. Also been with DirectTV for going on 3 years.
Not liking this package deal thing. Problem is I have more options with the phones than I do television and if I have to switch on I’d rather it be the TV.
Hillary regularly uses an exercise that offers a deal that can’t be refused. Money for favors has taken on a life of its own in politics.
Of course, she’s from Chicago too.
The internet will cease to be a source of factual information by next summer. It will be an entertainment, pornography, and propaganda medium only with nothing “controversial” permitted. Blocks and firewalls will gradually filter out all unapproved offshore content. The next election will make no difference in the net or in anything else. The die is cast and cannot be unthrown.
What ever happened to anti-trust and monopoly conditions that prevented these mega mergers? (don’t bother I know the answer).
omitted from your ownership list was broad band internet provider.
How is ATT going to provide universal internet service? Is ATT going to develop adequate wireless or satellite internet to service customers?
who provides your broadband internet?
wikipedia
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