AFL-CIO Backs AT&T/DirecTV

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The AFL-CIO has asked the FCC to approve the AT&T/DirecTV merger, saying it is to the benefit of its 12 million members.

The union says the deal poses few antitrust concerns since the phone and satellite companies are in primarily different markets and because the result will be a stronger competitor to cable operators and putting pressure on prices and service improvement by offering one-stop shopping for bundled broadband and video.

It also helps that AT&T is the largest union employer in the country. DirecTV, by contrast, is non-union. The Communications Workers of America, which represents AT&T workers, supports the merger.

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John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.