AT&T is seemingly close to winning approval of its acquisition of DirecTV, in part because it has promised to use the merger’s financial benefits to expand home Internet service.
But this isn’t the first time AT&T has claimed it will expand broadband service if the government approves a merger. Nearly a decade ago, AT&T promised 100 percent broadband coverage throughout its entire territory if it was allowed to buy BellSouth, yet today offers little or no service to millions of people in the 22 states where it operates wireline facilities.
Two opponents of AT&T’s latest merger have petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to delay the DirecTV buy and investigate AT&T for perjury, saying the company falsely claimed to have lived up to its promise. The perjury allegation might be a stretch, as AT&T argues that it did meet the obligation, at least under the definition of broadband that was used at the time it purchased BellSouth. But the petition and various statements made by AT&T illustrate how many gaps there are in AT&T’s network today.
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