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Hispanic arts group cites IP protection in backing AT&T/T-Mobile merger
AT&T has shown a commitment to preventing online piracy of movies and music while T-Mobile's efforts have been "less than adequate," according to a filing from the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.
The group, which works to raise the profile of Hispanics in the entertainment industry, argued AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile would benefit content creators because AT&T has gone much further than T-Mobile to ensure its networks aren't used to download pirated content.
"Through its corporate policies and internal operations, AT&T and its leadership have exhibited a commitment to safeguarding copywritten content and intellectual property such as music, movies, and images," wrote Chairman Felix Sanchez, who co-founded the group in 1997 with actor Jimmy Smits and others.
"By ensuring that its wireless networks are not used for unauthorized transmission and distribution of intellectual property, AT&T preserves the business model for the overall entertainment industry, which our membership relies upon for its livelihood. Unfortunately, in our opinion, T-Mobile’s track record on IP protection has been less than adequate."
Sanchez acknowledged via email that NHFA has received a total of $10,000 in contributions from AT&T over the past five years, with no "substantial" contributions before that time period.
The filing also cites the more familiar arguments in favor of the merger from proponents: that it will speed the deployment of 4G wireless broadband to more than 97 percent of the population and increase the membership of the Communications Workers of America. AT&T is the only unionized major wireless carrier.
Sanchez noted Hispanics are leading adopters of mobile technology, with two-thirds of the overall U.S. Hispanic population currently making use of the mobile Web. He said boosting union membership is also a priority of his organization.
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