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| num_employees = 243,350 (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 23, 2020 |title=2020 AT&T Q2 form 8-K |url=https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/atnt2/sec/sec-show.aspx?FilingId=14283614&Cik=0000732717&Type=PDF&hasPdf=1 |publisher=ATT}}</ref>
| num_employees = 243,350 (2020)<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 23, 2020 |title=2020 AT&T Q2 form 8-K |url=https://otp.tools.investis.com/clients/us/atnt2/sec/sec-show.aspx?FilingId=14283614&Cik=0000732717&Type=PDF&hasPdf=1 |publisher=ATT}}</ref>
| parent =
| parent =
| divisions = {{Unbulleted list|[[AT&T Communications]]|[[WarnerMedia]] (2018-2019)|[[Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution|Disney Media]]|[[#AT&T Latin America|AT&T Latin America]]}}
| divisions = {{Unbulleted list|[[AT&T Communications]]|[[WarnerMedia]]|[[#AT&T Latin America|AT&T Latin America]]}}
| subsid =
| subsid =
| website = {{URL|about.att.com}}
| website = {{URL|about.att.com}}

Revision as of 15:33, 19 January 2021

This article is about the company known as AT&T since 2005. For the original AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph) founded in 1885, see AT&T Corporation. For the telephone company founded in 1882, see Southwestern Bell.
For other uses, see AT&T (disambiguation).

AT&T Inc.
Formerly
  • Southwestern Bell Corporation (1983–1995)
  • SBC Communications Inc.[1] (1995–2005)
Company typePublic
ISINUS00206R1023
Industry
Predecessor
FoundedOctober 5, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-10-05)[2]
FoundersAlexander Graham Bell
Gardiner Greene Hubbard[3]
Thomas Sanders[4]
HeadquartersWhitacre Tower,
Dallas, Texas
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Randall L. Stephenson
(Executive Chairman)
John Stankey
(CEO)
Products
RevenueIncrease US$181.2 billion (2019)[5]
Decrease US$27.95 billion (2019)[5]
Decrease US$13.90 billion (2019)[5]
Total assetsIncrease US$551.7 billion (2019)[5]
Total equityIncrease US$201.9 billion (2019)[5]
Number of employees
243,350 (2020)[6]
Divisions
Websiteabout.att.com

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company, Delaware-registered[7] but headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas.[8] It is the world's largest telecommunications company,[9][10] the largest provider of mobile telephone services, and the largest provider of fixed telephone services in the United States through AT&T Communications.[citation needed] Since June 14, 2018, it is also the parent company of mass media conglomerate WarnerMedia, making it the world's largest media and entertainment company in terms of revenue.[11] As of 2020, AT&T was ranked 9 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations, with revenues of $181 billion.[12]

AT&T began its history as Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, a subsidiary of the Bell Telephone Company, founded by Alexander Graham Bell in 1877. The Bell Telephone Company became the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1885 and was later rebranded as AT&T Corporation. The 1982 United States v. AT&T antitrust lawsuit resulted in the divestiture of AT&T Corporation's ("Ma Bell") subsidiaries or Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), commonly referred to as "Baby Bells", resulting in several independent companies, including Southwestern Bell Corporation; the latter changed its name to SBC Communications Inc. in 1995. In 2005, SBC purchased its former parent AT&T Corporation and took on its branding, with the merged entity naming itself AT&T Inc. and using its history, iconic logo and stock-trading symbol. AT&T Inc. acquired BellSouth in 2006, the last independent Baby Bell company, making its formerly joint venture Cingular Wireless (which had acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004) wholly owned and rebranding it as AT&T Mobility.

The current AT&T reconstitutes much of the former Bell System, and includes ten of the original 22 Bell Operating Companies along with the original long-distance division.[13]

History

Further information: History of AT&T

Origin and growth (1885–1981)

See also: History of AT&T § Origins, and History of AT&T § Monopoly

AT&T was founded as Bell Telephone Company by Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, and Thomas Sanders after Bell's patenting of the telephone.[14] One of its subsidiaries was the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), established in 1885, which was acquired by the Bell Company on December 31, 1899, but for legal reasons, AT&T remained the main company.[15] AT&T established a network of subsidiaries in the United States and Canada that held a phone service monopoly, authorized by government authorities with the Kingsbury Commitment, throughout most of the twentieth century.[16] This monopoly was known as the Bell System,[16] and during this period, AT&T was also known by the nickname Ma Bell.[17]

Breakup and reformation (1982–2004)

See also: Breakup of the Bell System and History of AT&T § Post break-up restructuring

In 1982, U.S. regulators broke up the AT&T monopoly, requiring AT&T to divest its regional subsidiaries and turning them each into individual companies.[18] These new companies were known as Regional Bell Operating Companies, or more informally, Baby Bells.[19] AT&T continued to operate long-distance services, but as a result of this breakup, faced competition from new competitors such as MCI and Sprint.[20]

Southwestern Bell was one of the companies created by the breakup of AT&T Corp.[15] The company soon started a series of acquisitions, including the 1987 acquisition of Metromedia mobile business and the acquisition of several cable companies in the early 1990s.[citation needed] In the latter half of the 1990s, the company acquired several other telecommunications companies, including some Baby Bells, while selling its cable business.[21] During this time, the company changed its name to SBC Communications.[21] By 1998, the company was in the top 15 of the Fortune 500, and by 1999 the company was part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (lasting through 2015).[citation needed]

Purchase of former parent and acquisitions (2005–2014)

See also: History of AT&T § Rise of SBC, and History of AT&T § Post-consolidation wireless acquisitions

In 2005, SBC purchased AT&T for $16 billion.[22] After this purchase, SBC adopted the better-known AT&T name and brand, with the original AT&T Corp. still existing as the long-distance landline subsidiary of the merged company.[22] The current AT&T claims the original AT&T Corp.'s history (dating to 1885) as its own, but retains SBC's 1983-2005 corporate structure and pre-2005 stock price history.[23]

AT&T made an attempt in 2011 to purchase T-Mobile for a $39 billion stock and cash offer.[24] The bid was withdrawn after the takeover company was faced with significant regulatory and legal hurdles, along with heavy resistance from the U.S. government. As per the original acquisition agreement, T-Mobile received $3 billion in cash as well as access to $1 billion worth of AT&T-held wireless spectrum.[25][26]

In September 2013, AT&T announced it would expand into Latin America through a collaboration with América Móvil.[27] In December 2013, AT&T announced plans to sell its Connecticut wireline operations to Stamford-based Frontier Communications.[28]

Recent developments (2014–present)

See also: History of AT&T § Recent developments

In late 2014, AT&T purchased Mexican cellular carrier Iusacell,[29] and two months later, it purchased the Mexican wireless business of NII Holdings.[30] AT&T merged the two companies to create AT&T Mexico.[31]

In July 2015, AT&T purchased DirecTV for $48.5 billion.[32][33][34] AT&T then announced plans to converge its existing U-verse home internet and IPTV brands with DirecTV, to create AT&T Entertainment.[35][36][37]

On October 22, 2016, AT&T announced a deal to buy Time Warner for $108.7 billion in an effort to increase its media holdings.[38][39][40][41][42][43]

AT&T also owns approximately a 2% stake in Canadian-domiciled entertainment company Lionsgate.[44]

On July 13, 2017, it was reported that AT&T would introduce a cloud-based DVR streaming service as part of its effort to create a unified platform across DirecTV and its DirecTV Now streaming service, with U-verse to be added soon.[45][46][47] In October 2018, it was announced that the service would launch in 2019.[48][49] Named HBO Max, the service's release date was pushed to May 2020.[50]

On September 12, 2017, it was reported that AT&T planned to launch a new cable TV-like service for delivery over-the-top over its own or a competitor's broadband network sometime next year.[51]

On November 20, 2017, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim filed a lawsuit for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division to block the merger with Time Warner, saying it "will harm competition, result in higher bills for consumers and less innovation."[52][53] In order for AT&T to fully acquire Time Warner, the Department of Justice stated that the company must divest either DirecTV or Turner Broadcasting System.[54]

As of 2017, AT&T is the world's largest telecommunications company.[55] AT&T is also the largest provider of mobile telephone [56] [57] services and the largest provider of fixed telephone services in the United States. [58]

On March 7, 2018, the company prepared to sell a minority stake of DirecTV Latin America through an IPO, creating a new holding company for those assets named Vrio Corp.[59][60] However, on April 18, just a day before the public debut of Vrio, AT&T canceled the IPO due to market conditions.[61][62]

On June 12, 2018, AT&T was given permission by U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon to go ahead with its $85 billion deal for Time Warner. The DOJ had attempted to stop the merger, fearing it would harm competition.[63] The merger closed two days after, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary and division of AT&T with a new name, WarnerMedia, announced the next day.[64] The acquisition of WarnerMedia by AT&T took place on June 15, 2018.[65] Among other key assets, the acquisition of WarnerMedia by AT&T included the Warner Bros. Pictures film and television studios, U.S. cable/satellite channels such as, HBO, WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group (Adult Swim, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, TBS, TNT, TruTV, and Turner Classic Movies), and 50% stake in The CW (partnered 50% state in ViacomCBS).

Three months after completing the acquisition, AT&T reorganized into four main units: Communications, including consumer and business wireline telephony, AT&T Mobility, and consumer entertainment video services; WarnerMedia, including Turner cable television networks, Warner Bros. film and television production, and HBO; AT&T Latin America, consisting of wireless service in Mexico and video in Latin America and the Caribbean under the Vrio brand; and Advertising and Analytics, since renamed Xandr.[66][67]

By 2019, AT&T had developed partnerships with health care providers to develop mobile health-related connectivity devices that aid inpatient care. Key products include a telemetry device that monitors patient metrics, while toggling between WIFI and cellular connectivity.[68]

In September 2019, activist investor Elliott Management revealed that it had purchased $3.2 billion of AT&T stock (a 1.2% equity interest), and had pushed for the company to divest assets to improve its share value.[69]

On March 4, 2020, AT&T announced its intent to perform major cost-cutting moves, including cuts to capital investment, and plans to promote AT&T TV (which officially launched nationally on March 2) as its primary pay television service offering. AT&T will still primarily promote DirecTV "where cable broadband is not prevalent", and as a specialty option.[70]

On April 24, 2020, AT&T announced that effective July 1, 2020, company COO John Stankey would replace Randall L. Stephenson as CEO of AT&T.[71] It was also acknowledged that AT&T's acquisitions of DirecTV and Time Warner had by this point resulted in a massive debt burden of $200 billion for the company.[71]

As a result of planned cost cutting programs, the sale of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, DirecTV, Xandr, and Crunchyroll were proposed. The planned sale of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was abandoned after COVID-19 related growth in the Gaming industry, as well as a positive reception to upcoming DC Comics, Lego Star Wars, and Harry Potter titles from fans and critics. The other subsidiaries are still receiving bids as of September 1, 2020.[72]

On December 25, 2020, a bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, caused AT&T service outages across the U.S., but primarily in Middle Tennessee. Cellular, wireline telephone, Internet, and U-verse television services were affected due to infrastructure damage to an AT&T service facility located near the blast site.[73][74]

In January 2021, AT&T announced that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, around 300 jobs might get affected as it was planning to cut its workforce in Slovakia.[75]

AT&T Latin America

AT&T Latin America, LLC
FormerlyAT&T International, Inc. (2017-2018)
Company typeDivision
IndustryTelecommunication
Founded2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Headquarters
Dallas, Texas
,
United States[76]
Area served
Key people
Lori Lee
(CEO)
ProductsWireless
Satellite television
RevenueDecrease US$7 billion (2018)[77]
−4,587,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
−8,524,000,000 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets551,622,000,000 United States dollar (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
202,600 (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
ParentAT&T
SubsidiariesAT&T Mexico
Vrio
Websitewww.att.com

AT&T Latin America (formerly AT&T International, Inc.) is a wholly owned division of AT&T which operates in Mexico and 11 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.[78]

In 2017, AT&T announced a new AT&T International corporate division housing AT&T Mexico, DirecTV Latin America and their stakes of SKY Brazil and Sky Mexico.[79]

In October 2016, AT&T announced a deal to acquire Time Warner worth $85.4 billion (including assumed Time Warner debt). The proposed deal would give AT&T significant holdings in the media industry; AT&T's competitor Comcast had previously acquired NBCUniversal in a similar bid to increase its media holdings, in concert with its ownership of television and internet providers. If approved by federal regulators, the merger would bring Time Warner's properties under the same umbrella as AT&T's telecommunication holdings, including satellite provider DirecTV.[40][80] [81]

By the end of July, the company announced that, effective August 1, a new structure was created before the acquisition would close. On September 15, 2017, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources, that AT&T, the owner of DIRECTV's U.S. and Latin American divisions, had hired an advisor to consider offering AT&T Latin America on the public stock market. In November 2017, the U.S. Justice Department said it was moving to sue to block the AT&T-Time Warner merger.[82] On November 20, 2017, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit over the acquisition; Makan Delrahim stated that the deal would "greatly harm American consumers". AT&T asserts that this suit is a "radical and inexplicable departure from decades of antitrust precedent".[83] On December 22, 2017, the merger agreement deadline was extended to June 21, 2018.[84] On April 19, 2018, the IPO was cancelled. On June 12, 2018, the AT&T-Time Warner merger was approved by a federal judge.[85] Two days later, AT&T completed the acquisition of Time Warner, and a day later the company was renamed WarnerMedia.

On September 21, 2018, AT&T reclassified its four principal divisions which include AT&T International which now have some assets moved out like the RSNs, and also merging Consumer Mobility, Technology, and Business Mobility and renamed the company as AT&T Latin America.[66]

In October 2019, AT&T Latin America announced its intention to sell their Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands operations to Liberty Latin America, as a result of shareholder pressure from Elliott Management.[86]

Landline operating companies

Of the eight companies that were part of the Breakup of the Bell System, these five are a part of the current AT&T:[87]

Chart of AT&T Baby Bells

Main article: Regional Bell Operating Company
AT&T Corporation
RBOC grouped into "Baby Bells" split off in 1984
BellSouthAT&T Corporation
(non-LEC)		AmeritechPacific TelesisSouthwestern Bell
(later SBC Communications)		Bell AtlanticNYNEXUS West
GTE
(non-RBOC ILEC)		Qwest (non-ILEC)
Verizon
AT&T
(former SBC)
CenturyLink
(non-RBOC ILEC)
AT&TVerizonLumen Technologies

Former operating companies

The following companies have become defunct or were sold under SBC/AT&T ownership:

Decline of rural landlines

Of the Baby Bells, Ameritech sold some of its Wisconsin landlines to CenturyTel, in 1998; BellSouth sold some of its lines to MebTel, during the 2000s; U S WEST sold many historically Bell landlines to Lynch Communications and Pacific Telecom, in the 1990s; Verizon sold many of its New England lines to FairPoint, in 2008, and its West Virginia operations to Frontier Communications, in 2010.

On October 25, 2014, Frontier Communications took over control of the AT&T landline network in Connecticut after being approved by state utility regulators. The deal was worth about $2 billion, and included Frontier inheriting about 2,500 of AT&T's employees and many of AT&T's buildings.[90]

Corporate structure

AT&T office in San Antonio, Texas

Facilities and regions

The company is headquartered at Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas, Texas.[8] On June 27, 2008, AT&T announced that it would move its corporate headquarters from downtown San Antonio to One AT&T Plaza in downtown Dallas.[8][91] The company said that it moved to gain better access to its customers and operations throughout the world, and to the key technology partners, suppliers, innovation and human resources needed as it continues to grow, domestically and internationally.[92] AT&T Inc. previously relocated its corporate headquarters to San Antonio from St. Louis, Missouri, in 1992, when it was then named Southwestern Bell Corporation. The company's Telecom Operations group, which serves residential and regional business customers in 22 U.S. states, remains in San Antonio.[citation needed] Atlanta, Georgia, continues to be the headquarters for AT&T Mobility, with significant offices in Redmond, Washington, the former home of AT&T Wireless. Bedminster, New Jersey, is the headquarters for the company's Global Business Services group and AT&T Labs and is where the original AT&T Corp. remains located. St. Louis continues as home to the company's Directory operations, AT&T Advertising Solutions.[93] As announced by its predecessor Time Warner in 2013, WarnerMedia, an AT&T subsidiary acquired in 2016, is headquartered in the 30 Hudson Yards tower, located in New York City.[94]

AT&T also offers services in many locations throughout the Asia Pacific; its regional headquarters is located in Hong Kong.[95] The company is also active in Mexico, and on November 7, 2014, it was announced that Mexican carrier Iusacell would be acquired by AT&T.[29] The acquisition was approved in January 2015.[citation needed][96][97] On April 30, 2015, AT&T acquired wireless operations Nextel Mexico from NII Holdings (now AT&T Mexico).[98]

Corporate governance

CEO Randall L. Stephenson at the 2008 World Economic Forum
See also: Category:AT&T people

AT&T's current board of directors as of July 2020:[99]

The current management as of July 2020 includes:[100]

Political involvement

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, AT&T was the fourteenth-largest donor to United States federal political campaigns and committees from 1989 to 2019,[101] having contributed more than US$84.1 million, 58% of which went to Republicans and 42% of which went to Democrats. As an example, in 2005, AT&T was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.[102][103][104] Bill Leahy, representing AT&T, sits on the Private Enterprise Board of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).[105] ALEC is a nonprofit organization of conservative state legislators and private sector representatives that drafts and shares model state-level legislation for distribution among state governments in the United States.[106][107][108]

During the period of 1998 to 2019, the company expended US$380.1 million on lobbying in the United States.[109] A key political issue for AT&T has been the question of which businesses win the right to profit by providing broadband internet access in the United States.[110] The company has also lobbied in support of several federal bills. AT&T supported the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform Act of 2013 (H.R. 3675; 113th Congress), a bill that would make a number of changes to procedures that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) follows in its rulemaking processes.[111] The FCC would have to act in a more transparent way as a result of this bill, forced to accept public input about regulations.[112] AT&T's Executive Vice President of Federal Relations, Tim McKone, said that the bill's "much needed institutional reforms will help arm the agency with the tools to keep pace with the Internet speed of today's marketplace. It will also ensure that outmoded regulatory practices for today's competitive marketplace are properly placed in the dustbin of history."[113]

In May 2018, reports emerged that AT&T made 12 monthly payments between January and December 2017 to Essential Consultants, a company set up by President Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, totaling $600,000.[114] Although initial reports on May 8 mentioned only four monthly payments totaling $200,000,[115] documents obtained by the Washington Post on May 10 confirmed the figure of 12 payments, which had begun three days after the President was sworn into office.[116][117] AT&T confirmed the report the same day.[118] The report from The Washington Post, as well as additional reporting from Bloomberg, revealed the payments had been made for Cohen to "provide guidance" relating to the attempted $85 billion merger with Time Warner,[116][117] to gain information on the Trump administration's planned tax reforms, as well as about potential changes to net neutrality policies under the new FCC.[119] However, Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai denied Cohen ever inquired about net neutrality on AT&T's behalf.[118][120] A spokesperson for AT&T said that the company had been contacted by the Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller regarding the payments, and had provided all the information requested in November and December 2017.[121][122]

In early 2019, the Democratic House Judiciary requested records related to the AT&T-Time Warner merger from the White House.[123]

Historical financial performance

The financial performance of the company is reported to shareholders on an annual basis and a matter of public record. Where performance has been restated, the most recent statement of performance from an annual report is used.[124][125][126][127][128][129][130]

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Revenues (billion USD) 45.38 42.82 40.50 40.79 43.86 63.06 118.9 124.0 122.5 124.8 126.7 127.4 128.8 132.4 146.8 163.8 160.5 170.8 181.2
Net Income (billion USD) 7.008 5.653 8.505 5.887 4.768 7.356 11.95 12.87 12.12 19.09 3.944 7.264 18.25 6.224 13.69 13.33 29.85 19.37 13.90
Assets (billion USD) 96.42 95.17 102.0 110.3 145.6 270.6 275.6 265.2 268.3 268.5 270.3 272.3 277.8 292.8 402.7 403.8 444.1 531.9 551.7
Number of employees (thousands) 193.4 175.0 168.0 162.7 190.0 304.2 309.1 302.7 282.7 266.6 256.4 241.8 243.4 243.6 281.5 268.5 254.0 268.2 247.8

Criticism and controversies

Hemisphere database

Main article: Hemisphere Project

The company maintains a database of call detail records of all telephone calls that have passed through its network since 1987. AT&T employees work at High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area offices (operated by the Office of National Drug Control Policy) in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston so data can be quickly turned over to law enforcement agencies. Records are requested via an administrative subpoena, without the involvement of a court or grand jury.

Censorship

In September 2007, AT&T changed its legal policy to state that "AT&T may immediately terminate or suspend all or a portion of your Service, any Member ID, electronic mail address, IP address, Universal Resource Locator or domain name used by you, without notice for conduct that AT&T believes ... (c) tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."[131] By October 10, 2007, AT&T had altered the terms and conditions for its Internet service to explicitly support freedom of expression by its subscribers, after an outcry claiming the company had given itself the right to censor its subscribers' transmissions.[132]

Privacy controversy

Diagram of how alleged wiretapping worked. From EFF court filings[133]
Further information: NSA call database, Room 641A, Mark Klein, NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, and Hepting v. AT&T

In 2006, the Electronic Frontier Foundation lodged the class action lawsuit Hepting v. AT&T, which alleged that AT&T had allowed agents of the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor phone and Internet communications of AT&T customers without warrants. If true, this would violate the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. AT&T has yet to confirm or deny that monitoring by the NSA is occurring. In April 2006, retired former AT&T technician Mark Klein lodged an affidavit supporting this allegation.[134][135] The Department of Justice has stated it will intervene in this lawsuit by means of State Secrets Privilege.[136]

In July 2006, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California – in which the suit was filed – rejected a federal government motion to dismiss the case. The motion to dismiss, which invoked the State Secrets Privilege, had argued that any court review of the alleged partnership between the federal government and AT&T would harm national security. The case was immediately appealed to the Ninth Circuit. It was dismissed on June 3, 2009, citing retroactive legislation in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.[citation needed] [137]

In May 2006, USA Today reported that all international and domestic calling records had been handed over to the National Security Agency by AT&T, Verizon, SBC, and BellSouth for the purpose of creating a massive calling database.[138] The portions of the new AT&T that had been part of SBC Communications before November 18, 2005, were not mentioned.

On June 21, 2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that AT&T had rewritten rules on its privacy policy. The policy, which took effect June 23, 2006, says that "AT&T – not customers – owns customers' confidential info and can use it 'to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process.'"[139]

On August 22, 2007, National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell confirmed that AT&T was one of the telecommunications companies that assisted with the government's warrantless wire-tapping program on calls between foreign and domestic sources.[140]

On November 8, 2007, Mark Klein, a former AT&T technician, told Keith Olbermann of MSNBC that all Internet traffic passing over AT&T lines was copied into a locked room at the company's San Francisco office – to which only employees with National Security Agency clearance had access.[141]

AT&T keeps for five to seven years a record of who text messages whom and the date and time, but not the content of the messages.[142]

AT&T has a one star privacy rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.[143]

Intellectual property filtering

In January 2008, the company reported plans to begin filtering all Internet traffic which passes through its network for intellectual property violations.[144] Commentators in the media have speculated that if this plan is implemented, it would lead to a mass exodus of subscribers leaving AT&T,[145] although this is misleading as Internet traffic may go through the company's network anyway.[144] Internet freedom proponents used these developments as justification for government-mandated network neutrality.

Discrimination against local Public-access television channels

AT&T has been accused by community media groups of discriminating against local Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channels, by "impictions that will severely restrict the audience".[146]

According to Barbara Popovic, Executive Director of the Chicago public-access service CAN-TV, the new AT&T U-verse system forced all Public-access television into a special menu system, denying normal functionality such as channel numbers, access to the standard program guide, and DVR recording.[146] The Ratepayer Advocates division of the California Public Utilities Commission reported: "Instead of putting the stations on individual channels, AT&T has bundled community stations into a generic channel that can only be navigated through a complex and lengthy process."[146]

Sue Buske (president of telecommunications consulting firm the Buske Group and a former head of the National Federation of Local Cable Programmers/Alliance for Community Media) argue that this is "an overall attack [...] on public access across the [United States], the place in the dial around cities and communities where people can make their own media in their own communities".[146]

Information security

In June 2010, a hacker group known as Goatse Security discovered a vulnerability within AT&T that could allow anyone to uncover email addresses belonging to customers of AT&T 3G service for the Apple iPad.[147] These email addresses could be accessed without a protective password.[148] Using a script, Goatse Security collected thousands of email addresses from AT&T.[147] Goatse Security informed AT&T about the security flaw through a third party.[149] Goatse Security then disclosed around 114,000 of these emails to Gawker Media, which published an article about the security flaw and disclosure in Valleywag.[147][149] Praetorian Security Group criticized the web application that Goatse Security exploited as "poorly designed".[147]

In April 2015, AT&T was fined $25 million over data security breaches, marking the largest ever fine issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for breaking data privacy laws. The investigation revealed the theft of details of approximately 280,000 people from call centres in Mexico, Colombia and the Philippines.[150][151]

Accusations of enabling fraud

In March 2012, the United States federal government announced a lawsuit against AT&T. The specific accusations state that AT&T "violated the False Claims Act by facilitating and seeking federal payment for IP Relay calls by international callers who were ineligible for the service and sought to use it for fraudulent purposes. The complaint alleges that, out of fears that fraudulent call volume would drop after the registration deadline, AT&T knowingly adopted a non-compliant registration system that did not verify whether the user was located within the United States. The complaint further contends that AT&T continued to employ this system even with the knowledge that it facilitated the use of IP Relay by fraudulent foreign callers, which accounted for up to 95 percent of AT&T's call volume. The government's complaint alleges that AT&T improperly billed the TRS Fund for reimbursement of these calls and received millions of dollars in federal payments as a result."[152] In September 2020, AT&T and Verizon agreed to pay a combined $116 million settlement.[153]

Racism

On April 28, 2015, AT&T announced that it had fired Aaron Slator, President of Content and Advertising Sales, for sending racist text messages.[154] Slator was also hit with a $100 million discrimination lawsuit, filed by African-American employee Knoyme King.[155] The day before that, protesters arrived at AT&T's headquarters in Dallas and its satellite offices in Los Angeles as well as at the home of CEO Randall Stephenson to protest alleged systemic racial policies. According to accounts, the protesters demanded that AT&T begin working with 100% black-owned media companies.[156]

On January 24, 2017, Slator sued AT&T in the Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing the company of defamation and wrongful termination. Slator had been involved in organizing AT&T's planned $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV since 2014, and he claimed that when news headlines speculated that his text messages could prevent the acquisition from going through, he was fired as a "scapegoat" by company executives. He also claimed that the executives had known about the text messages since at least late 2013, and had promised him at the time that he would not be fired for them.[157][158]

Overturning the 2020 election

AT&T was the single largest combined donor to the Republican members of Congress who sought to aid Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election (which had been won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden). There was no evidence of widespread fraud in the election.[159]

Naming rights and sponsorships

Buildings

AT&T Midtown Center in Atlanta, Georgia

Venues

AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas

Sponsorships

See also

References

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