e District of Columbia struck down an FCC rule in March 2004 that made it possible for competitors to connect to an incumbent's switches and other equipment in central offices at deeply discounted rates. (Central offices contain the equipment used to send traffic to and from locations within cities.) They ruled that carriers are not required to provide access to their fiber-optic connections to customers. Competition, Industry Structures, and Regulations These last two rulings were major blows to CLECs. More recently, in 2011, Veri- zon appealed to the courts, objecting to the FCC's December 2010 network neutrality rules that require broadband providers to allow customers access to the services of other providers. Verizon's position is that the FCC has no authority over broadband and Internet services. In the past, the FCC has regulated only voice services. As of this writing, the court has not ruled on the case. For more information on network neutral- ity, read Chapter 6, "The Internet." Lobbying to Shape Government Regulations Government regulations impact all phases of telecommunications, which is why almost all large and midsize providers such as Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T spend money on lobbyists every year. Moreover, lobbying expenditures spike when there are issues they consider critical. For example, in 2010 Comcast increased its lobbying spending when it needed the approval of the FCC and the Justice Department for its merger with NBCU. In the first quarter of 2011, when AT&T required approval to purchase T-Mobile USA, it spent $6.8 million on lobbyists, a 15 percent increase over the first quarter of 2010. In response to the AT&T planned merger, Sprint's lobbyists pushed legislators to impose rules that would have required the merged AT&T organization to divest itself of as much spectrum and as many cell sites as possible if regulatory approval were granted. This would enable other mobile operators to increase the foot- print of their network coverage. Over-the-Top Connections to Cable TV and Telco Bro