Main Street

Improving broadband speeds and workers rights

Two years ago, MacWorld magazine wrote:

The Internet was born and and raised in the United States. Yet—thanks to slow speeds, inconsistent availability, and bandwidth caps—we now lag the rest of the world when it comes to broadband Net access.

The situation has not improved. American broadband speed and access is not where it should be, particularly in rural areas. Even Romania beats us.

The need to improve this situation is one of the key reasons union leaders are supporting the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. The merger is a win for telecommunications workers since AT&T has a unionized workforce while T-Mobile does not. Those workers will now have a chance to form a union. It’s also a win for people across the country who lack access to broadband or have access but at speeds that lag most other developed nations.

Shortly after the merger was announced, CWA President Larry Cohen said:

For more than a decade, the United States has continued to drop behind nearly every other developed economy on broadband speed and build out. The Federal Communications Commission sounded the alarm more than a year ago with its broadband report, and President Obama in his State of the Union address called for increased efforts to bring the U.S. back to global parity as a key stimulus for economic development.

Today’s announcement of the acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T is a victory for broadband proponents in both the U.S. and Germany. For the U.S., it means that T-Mobile customers will get quick access to the AT&T network, soon to include LTE or data speeds of at least 10 megabits down stream. More important, as part of the deal, AT&T is committing to build out to nearly every part of the U.S. within six years. Both AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM technology so there will be the immediate benefit of shared spectrum. Other reported deals involving T-Mobile would have joined incompatible networks; not only would that have forced a rebuild but would have required new phones for T- Mobile customers.

Last week, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry added her voice to those of other union leaders supporting the merger for these two important reasons:

“This merger is a win-win for American families. Now, thousands of workers in the telecommunications industry will have the opportunity to collectively bargain and insist that good, quality jobs stay in our communities. And with a stronger voice on the job, workers can ensure that they deliver the best service to consumers. As America’s working families continue to struggle, we must meet this moment with innovative solutions to expand opportunity and rebuild America. Access to high-speed internet access continues to define access to educational opportunities, economic development, job training, and healthcare and government services, making the telecom industry a critical part of this effort. AT&T’s commitment to expanding high-speed broadband access to 95% of Americans is the sort innovative solutions our economy demands.”