Ask the 76 democrats who endorsed the AT&T, T-Mobile merger to rescind their endorsement

76 democrats signed a letter endorsing the AT&T and T-Mobile merger (link to the list with this year and career contributions from AT&T).  Only 5 of those democrats had not received funding from AT&T.  Just what we need less competition from wireless companies.   During the 5.8 earthquake this week on the east coast almost all cellphone service was unavailable, we need expanded wireless coverage, not consolidated wireless coverage.

From ColorofChange.org:

In June, Congressman G.K. Butterfield of South Carolina worked with Congressman Gene Green of Texas to organize Democratic support for AT&T's merger with T-Mobile. The resulting letter to the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice — the two federal agencies responsible for approving or rejecting the acquisition — argues that the merger would benefit the public for two reasons: 1) it would enable AT&T to expand high-speed wireless Internet to low-income and rural customers, and 2) the required build-out would result in new jobs.⁴

Thanks to a letter filed by AT&T's attorneys that contained confidential information, we now know with certainty that AT&T could easily upgrade its wireless networks without buying T-Mobile — it has simply chosen not to do so.

The letter pegs the price of covering 97% of Americans with advanced 4G LTE wireless service at $3.8 billion, less than one tenth the cost of the $39 billion merger.⁵

And as we've stated before, the merger is likely to be bad for consumers. The merger wouldn't just allow AT&T to raise prices on its customers — every wireless carrier would be subject to fewer competitive pressures to keep prices low.⁶ If that happens, more poor people, Black Americans, and Latinos — who disproportionately rely on wireless broadband to access the Internet — would be subject to higher prices and undue economic hardship just to get online. There are also major implications for Internet freedom. Without competition from other wireless carriers or effective regulation by the FCC, AT&T and Verizon — net neutrality opponents who would together control nearly 80% of the wireless market — would have an unacceptable level of control over what we can and can't access on the mobile web.⁷

Sign the letter to the 76 democratic senators to rescind their endorsement of this merger

The Republican Jobs Blueprint, Part 1

Recently, I wrote to Speaker Boehner about his lack of jobs legislation.  The republicans have controlled the house for 8 months and have introduced Zero jobs bills.  In fact, they have blocked many democratic jobs bills from proceeding without instituting any of their own bills.  9% unemployment, 8 months with a solid majority in congress, Zero jobs bills and then they go on 5 weeks vacation.  Do YOU get 5 weeks vacation?  Would you go on vacation with millions of Americans out of work, savings and hope?  The Republicans did.  But Speaker Boehner touted the republican jobs blueprint:

To learn more about the Republican blueprint for job creation, click here or visit Jobs.GOP.Gov.

A blueprint is a plan to follow while you build something.  The republicans are waving around their blueprint but they haven't built anything, they haven't even gathered tools or building materials.  Currently, their blueprint is only on the web, while they are on vacation.  

Empower Small Business Owners
and Reduce Regulatory Burdens
Job creators are being bogged down by burdensome regulations from Washington
that prevent job creation and hinder economic growth. These regulations are
particularly damaging for the real job creators in the country: small business owners.
We must remove onerous federal regulations that are redundant, harmful to small
businesses, and impede private sector investment and job creation.

The reason we don't have jobs is because of federal regulations?  The republicans controlled the house and the white house for 8 consecutive years.   Are they talking about the federal regulations they introduced?  Comparatively, almost nothing has passed since the Obama has been president.  Since senator Mitch McConnel has filibustered almost every bill requiring a 60 vote majority to pass almost nothing has passed in the senate.   The economy started its steep decline under the Bush administration, and the Bush administration was definitely not known for its strict and onerous federal regulations.

• Background: The House has already acted on several regulations that
hurt job creators both large and small including: The EPA’s regulation
of greenhouse gases, the Federal Communications Commission’s
net neutrality proposal, and duplicative and burdensome pesticide
regulations.

The EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases is killing jobs?  Building a 20 foot high concrete wall around all of our ocean waterfront cities and the state of Florida will create jobs, but could we afford to do it?   Here is great opportunity for job growth, by moving away from an oil based economy to a green economy will create millions and millions of everyday jobs:  Installing solar panels, building and maintaining wind mills, installing weatherstripping, rewiring homes so consumers can recharge their  fancy new electric car, rebuilding our electrical grid.  I'd say stricter enforcement of greenhouse gases will create jobs, improve our health and the health of our planet.  Net Neutrality is killing jobs?  Not in a million years, in fact, net neutrality keeps large monopolistic companies from squeezing out, wait for it, "small business".  Small business would be devastated by a loss of net neutrality.   "Burdensome pesticide regulations" are killing our economy?  I agree that eliminating "burdensome" pesticide regulations would increase business in doctors offices, hospitals and funeral homes.  Is this the kind of job growth that Speaker Boehner advocates.
Part 1 of Speaker Boehner's plan to increase jobs by reducing federal regulations is wrongheaded, dangerous to our health and in the case of net neutrality completely inaccurate.  Republican job blueprint grade, Part 1:
Fail

Related articles

• I get mail from Speaker Boehner (ablazeofbrightblue.blogspot.com)
• Fox, GOP team up to lie about Net Neutrality (dailykos.com)
• Lloyd Chapman: Republicans Trying to End Small Business Programs Again (huffingtonpost.com)
• House Democrats Take Aim at GOP Environmental Voting Record (nytimes.com)
• Battle Brews Over EPA's Emissions Regulations (time.com)
• ALEC Exposed: Warming Up to Climate Change (my.firedoglake.com)