AT&T T-Mobile Merger Helps Minorities, Increases Jobs

As the window for public comment on the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile nears a close, organizations representing minority groups, communications workers, and developers joined together to support the merger.

Several minority-interest groups, like Speed Matters partner the Minority Media and Telecom Council favor the merger because it will help minority groups who disproportionally rely on mobile phones for web connectivity.

The merger would also bring next-generation technology to users across America and help alleviate a strained wireless spectrum band by easing capacity constraints, according to the Association for Competitive Technology.

A new report from the Economic Policy Institute, which tracked the potential economic benefit of the merger, adds another dimension to the discussion. According to the report, the merger would provide "between 55,000 and 96,000 job-years" (jobs held for a single year) as AT&T's $8 billion investment is dispersed post-merger.

CWA continues its support for the merger, which would provide union representation to thousands of T-Mobile workers under AT&T and help expand jobs in the telecommunications field.

AT&T Merger Will Boost Broadband Deployment, Jobs, Groups Contend (National Journal)

Economic Policy Institute: The Jobs Impact of Telecom Investment