USA: AT&T is fighting back on claims antitrust investigators are studying its business

[mobile burn] Reuters reports that AT&T is fighting back against news that the U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the business practices of the U.S. telecom industry for anti-trust issues.

Senator Herb Kohl, chair of the congressional antitrust panel, earlier this week asked the Justice Department and FCC to look into concerns about text messaging prices, roaming disputes, wireless spectrum deals, and manufacturer exclusivity deals.

In a letter to the committee, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President James Cicconi called the claims unfounded, citing an 89 percent drop in per-minute call revenue and increased consumption of text package deals. He also said that exclusivity deals allowed carriers and manufacturers to split the cost of marketing expensive cell phone devices.

AT&T fights U.S. Department of Justice anti-trust review