[starspangled]

If a company requires a continued or guaranteed supply of a product or service with only a single provider, they need to sign longer term contracts, accept the risk that conditions will change, or develop alternative plans.

I find it extremely hard to have any sympathy for AT&T over "vendor lock-in" (aka signing short-term contracts for a single-source products and making their business critically depend on it).

Don't view this through the lens of the common person or small business who absolutely do need particular protections and consideration under the law. That's because people have an extreme disadvantage in negotiating power in many markets, and don't have millions of dollars to spend on lawyers and analysts.

[3eb7988a1663]

  Filed in New York County Supreme Court on Aug. 29, AT&T’s lawsuit states that Broadcom is “threatening to withhold essential support services for previously purchased VMware perpetually licensed software unless AT&T capitulates to Broadcom’s demands that AT&T purchase hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of bundled subscription software and services, which AT&T does not want.”
  ...
  But many customers, AT&T included, remained on pre-acquisition VMware contracts that featured perpetual licensing. Now, though, things are coming down to the wire. Broadcom’s contractual obligation to provide support services to AT&T applies through Sept. 8 — four days from now. 
  ...
  And yet, AT&T says, “under an amendment the parties signed in August 2022, AT&T obtained the right to renew the support services for ‘up to’ two more years at its ‘sole option’ as long as it does so prior to the end of the current term.”
  AT&T is exercising that option for at least one more year but Broadcom, it alleges, “is refusing to honor AT&T’s renewal.”

Sounds like AT&T did put in place longer term agreements. It is Broadcom who is altering the deal.

[starspangled]

Right, so it's a contract dispute (sounds like Broadcom found some possible loopholes in when they decided to buy VMWare and burn it down for short term profits), not some ideological battle about vendor lock-in or consumer rights.