AT&T T- Mobile Merger to Support Local Communities

September 1, 2011 - The Black Economic Council, Latino Business Chamber of Greater Los Angeles and National Asian American Coalition are working as a collaborative to define key milestones that will benefit local communities as a result of the AT&T T-Mobile merger.

The leadership of all three organizations working closely with Ken McNeely, President AT&T California and his key staff members have identified critical opportunities to help build and support local communities as a result of the merger.

The goal is to ensure that small and micro business enterprises receive technical assistance and capacity building support which helps create jobs locally and establishes a strong economic base for long-term growth and sustainability.  The support of the acquisition by these community leaders is contingent on AT&T’s commitment to champion efforts that benefit local communities and consumers nationwide.

A long-term commitment to supporting capacity building and the development of small and micro business enterprises across the nation is critical to building economic stability and reducing unemployment rates.  This is a key factor being considered in the analysis of AT&T’s proposed merger by these community groups.

AT&T has the ability to bring new and innovative products to the marketplace providing consumers with more choices for pricing and data plans. AT&T also has the ability to continue driving competition by increasing the number of diverse suppliers in the supply chain. 

Yolanda Lewis, Chief Deputy of the Black Economic Council stated “diversity in thought leads to diversity in products and services”.  Organizations that leverage full utilization of diverse firms and employees establish a stronger competitive market where diverse, small and micro-businesses can thrive.  AT&T’s commitment to supporting efforts that focus on diversity in procurement and increasing the capacity of smaller firms leads to job creation.

A key example is that in 2009, California Association for Micro Enterprise Organizations (CAMEO) members served 21,000 businesses with training, technical assistance and loans.  These firms, which were largely start-ups, brought 42,000 new jobs into California’s economy - a total of $1.5 billion in economic activity.

A commitment by AT&T to support extensive technical assistance programs that benefit small and micro firms ($1 million and below in annual revenue) can generate 45,000 jobs for California and 110,000 jobs nation-wide.   

Len Canty, Chairman of the Black Economic Council stated, “This merger presents a great opportunity for AT&T to establish a gold standard for Silicon Valley and the rest of corporate America in addressing the needs of the community”.   

In an economy where we have one of the highest unemployment rates in history, the Black Economic Council seeks opportunities that support small businesses, which are responsible for the majority of job creation in this country.

Additional areas the community leaders expect AT&T to demonstrate strong leadership include a strong commitment to implement solutions to address “Bill Shock”, a sudden and unexpected increase in monthly service bills, as well as the transition of low income families from landlines to cell phones.