AT&T has learned its lesson the hard way. After getting a fine of $23 million, AT&T Illinois is promising never to make the same mistake again. This is in reference to AT&T’s admission of bribing lawmakers.
The company was fined by the Department of Justice after they admitted to paying former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan’s political ally for the politician’s “vote and influence over a bill.”
Apart from the $23 million fine, AT&T promised to cooperate with the investigation into the misconduct and will set up a compliance and ethics program.
Back in 2017, AT&T paid one of the allies of the politician $22,500 via a lobbying firm it worked with. The employees of Ma Bell made it seem like the ally was hired for a specific purpose even though he wasn’t expected to do any work. AT&T Illinois’ president was aware of the deal and allowed it to be done covertly through the company.
Ars Technica revealed that AT&T Illinois tried to influence a bill that would not require them to provide a landline telephone service to users in the state.
A spokesperson for AT&T shared that: “We hold ourselves and our contractors to the highest ethical standards. We are committed to ensuring that this never happens again.”
Source: TheVerge
