Mobile wireless company T-Mobile is the latest to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a secretive corporate lobbying group.

A T-Mobile spokesperson issued the following statement to Common Cause on Wednesday:

T-Mobile is affiliated with many public policy organizations, and we regularly evaluate these affiliations and associations based on our priorities. In line with this practice, in 2015 we decided not to renew our membership with ALEC. 

T-Mobile joins a growing number of corporations who have recently left ALEC, largely due to the organization’s controversial position on climate science and secretive activities. In recent months, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, Yelp, eBay, SAP America, AOL, Northrop Grumman, BP, Occidental Petroleum, and International Paper have all left ALEC. T-Mobile is the second large telecommunications firm to cut ties with ALEC, after Sprint left in 2012. T-Mobile had been a member of ALEC’s Communications and Technology Task Force.

Despite T-Mobile and other corporations’ exit, many telecom companies remain members of ALEC, including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable.

“The Uncarrier strikes again,” said Todd O’Boyle, director of Common Cause’s Media and Democracy program. “In recent years, AT&T and Verizon have been taking their cues from wireless maverick T-Mobile which has relieved customers of many of the billing practices they so despise. Big Telecom should once again follow T-Mobile’s example by exiting ALEC straightaway.”

Common Cause는 ALEC을 상대로 국세청(IRS)에 세금 "내부고발자" 고소를 진행 중입니다. ALEC이 자선단체로 위장하면서 기업 로비 활동을 하고 있다는 혐의입니다. ALEC은 비영리 단체이기 때문에 기업 후원자들이 법인세 신고 시 기부금을 공제받을 수 있으며, 이는 사실상 ALEC의 로비 활동에 대한 세금 지원입니다.