Big Telecoms Lobby Thune with Tequila Cocktails

How does John Thune make his policy decisions? With tequila!

A tequila cocktail called the "sugar daddy" was on the menu at a Wednesday night fundraiser for U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, and lobbyists for Verizon Wireless and AT&T were reportedly licking their lips in anticipation.

The fundraiser, held at Del Frisco's Grille on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, allowed the two carriers to contribute to a lawmaker who is fighting Democratic plans to help Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc. win airwaves at a U.S. auction in 2014, Bloomberg reports [Galen Moore, "'Sugar Daddy' Cocktails Flow as Verizon, AT&T Lobby for Airwaves," Boston Business Journal: Morning Buzz, 2013.06.13].

AT&T and Verizon, which placed over 80% of the bids at the big 2008 spectrum auction, are lobbying Republicans for their crack at the lion's share of this newly offered spectrum. Sprint and T-Mobile are lobbying Democrats to keep the bigger dogs out. The Justice Department wants to spread out spectrum to more operators. Senator Thune says a laissez-faire approach will maximize revenue for the government, but T-Mobile counters that capping the spectrum AT&T and Verizon can capture will invite more players in the auction, increase competition, and generate higher bids.

I have a tough time picking a favorite in a battle between big corporations and bigger corporations. Maybe a good stiff drink will help me find a phone and decide.