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The phrase does not apply to any industry, it refers specifically to the defense industry, of which telecoms are not a part. Otherwise, we could plausibly say that any sufficiently large business in the US is part of the "military-industrial complex," which is not the case.

So it has little, if anything, to do with the military-industrial complex.

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Uhh, okay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A

That also has nothing to do with the "military-industrial complex"

In order for that to fit the analogy, AT&T would have to have lobbied the government to create that so it could profit from it.

The entire reason this was controversial was specifically because we consider telecommunications working hand-in-hand with intelligence agencies to be a violation of our basic freedoms. Had this been set up in a foreign country by KBR, it would fit within the concept of the "military industrial complex."

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