It's possible that they expected the massive breakup fee to have an effect on the regulators in a way that a smaller one wouldn't. Just imagine the teary-eyed A

It's possible that they expected the massive breakup fee to have an effect on the regulators in a way that a smaller one wouldn't. Just imagine the teary-eyed AT&T executive testifying in front of the TV cameras about how the evil government is forcing them to give $7G to a competitor.