Dear AT&T,

You've tried this already. You filed a claim against  Verizon over its "America's Most Reliable 3G Network" advertising earlier this year. And how did you file that claim? Not by going to court, but by complaining to the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bereaus. That's a head scratcher. In any event, your claim was rejected and Verizon in turn sued you.

And now you're suing Verizon over its newest campaign, which mocks Apple's iPhone "Apps" campaign. You claim Verizon's "There's a map for that" ads are misleading and are costing you business and market share. You claim Verizon has stepped over the line of "legitimate comparative advertising" -- a line which you, Ma Bell, and Apple have flirted with many times yourselves.

And sure, you may have a case. You claimed that Verizon's television spots mislead consumers and that the maps in question make it appear that AT&T's has no wireless coverage outside of its limited 3G areas (Verizon countered by saying the ads clearly state that AT&T voice and data services are available outside of the scarce 3G areas). Personally, I like the ads. And furthmore, at no time did I ever think that the AT&T blue map in question was representing your complete wireless coverage. It's pretty obvious to me the map was addressing your limited 3G network. But hey, I'm not Don Draper and I'm certainly no legal expert, so yes, you may have a case.

But is that the real issue here? No. The issue is your 3G network sucks. Sorry, but that's the truth. I've had an iPhone for a while now, and let me tell you, there's a reason why your 3G coverage has been heavily criticized. So don't shoot the messenger. You've already shown Verizon that it's touched a nerve, and now it looks like you're crying to mother (or Big Brother). And even worse, you've just admitted that Verizon's ads are working and costing you business. Now be honest: do you think you're really losing business because everyone is confusing your 3G map with your total wireless coverage? I'd bet if I slipped you some sodium penethol, I'd get the answer I expect.

Look, you're AT&T. Stop distracting yourself with advertising battles and lawsuits. Fix your network. Your wireless coverage stinks. Your 3G network is even worse. Apple was nice enough to hitch its iPhone wagon to your company. Don't blow it. Because if you do, you won't be able to blame anyone but yourself.