Information about At&t

AT&T Inc.
	Public (NYSE: T)
Founded	1983[1]
Headquarters	San Antonio, Texas, USA
Key people	Randall L. Stephenson, Chairman/CEO; Richard Lindner, CFO
Industry	Telecommunications
Products	Wireless, Telephone, Internet, Television
Revenue	$63.055 billion USD (2007)[2]
Net income	$7.356 billion USD (2007)[2]
Employees	301,840
Slogan	Your World. Delivered.
Website	www.att.com

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is the largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services, wireless service, and DSL Internet access in the United States. AT&T is based in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Formerly SBC Communications, Inc., the company shed its name and took on the iconic AT&T moniker and the T stock-trading symbol (for "telephone") after its acquisition of AT&T Corporation.

Since the break-up of American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1984, most of the companies spun off from it (the "Baby Bells") have merged into three major US telecommunications groups: Verizon, Qwest, and AT&T Inc. Most of these companies are made up primarily of former components of American Telephone and Telegraph Company. For the new AT&T, these include many Bell Operating Companies and the long distance division. ^[3]

History

Founding, expansion

AT&T Inc. was founded in 1983 as Southwestern Bell Corporation, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies, or "Baby Bells." The company — a holding company for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company — was created as a result of U.S. antitrust action against American Telephone & Telegraph in 1983. It took full control of Southwestern Bell Telephone on January 1, 1984.

In 1993, Southwestern Bell Corp. moved its headquarters to San Antonio, Texas, and, during its annual meeting of stockholders in 1995, the company announced that its name would be changed to SBC Communications, Inc. The name change was an effort to reinforce the company's national and global reach and the company not only stated that "SBC" wasn't an acronym for Southwestern Bell Corporation, but that it did not stand for anything at all.

SBC then proceeded (as permitted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996) to acquire fellow Baby Bell Pacific Telesis, the Regional Bell operating company serving Nevada and California, in 1997 and the former independent Bell System franchise SNET (Southern New England Telephone).

SBC then announced plans to acquire Ameritech, the Regional Bell operating company serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and told the FCC that it would allow competitors access to local markets where it had had a monopoly if the FCC would allow them to acquire Ameritech. The FCC agreed and in May 1998, SBC and Ameritech announced the merger would move forward. After making several organizational changes (such as the sale of Ameritech Wireless to GTE) to satisfy state and Federal regulators, the two merged on October 8, 1999. The FCC later fined SBC Communications $6 million for failure to comply with agreements made in order to secure approval of the merger.

On November 1, 1999, SBC became a part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

In 2002, SBC ended marketing its operating companies under different names, and simply opted to give its companies different doing business as names based on the state (a practice already in use by Ameritech since 1993), and it gave the holding companies it had purchased d/b/a names based on their general region.

AT&T Corporation acquisition

On January 31, 2005, SBC announced that it would purchase AT&T for more than $16 billion. The announcement came almost 8 years after SBC and AT&T called off their first merger talks and nearly a year after initial merger talks between AT&T and BellSouth fell apart. AT&T stockholders, meeting in Denver, approved the merger on June 30, 2005. The U.S. Department of Justice cleared the merger on October 27, 2005, and the Federal Communications Commission approved it on October 31, 2005. The merger was finalized on November 18 2005.^[4] SBC changed its corporate name to AT&T Inc., and it adopted an updated logo.

On December 1, 2005 the combined company began trading under the historic "T" stock ticker symbol on the NYSE. To differentiate from the preceding company, AT&T is formally known as "AT&T Inc.", while the preceding company was "AT&T Corp."

BellSouth acquisition

On Friday December 29, 2006, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the acquisition of BellSouth valued at approximately $86 billion (or 1.325 shares of AT&T for each share of BellSouth at the close of trading December 29, 2006).^[5] The new combined company retained the name AT&T. ^[6] The deal consolidated ownership of both Cingular Wireless and Yellowpages.com, once joint ventures between BellSouth and AT&T. All services, including wireless, are currently offered under the AT&T name.^[7]

Transition to new media

New Chairman and CEO, Randall Stephenson, discussed how wireless services are the core of "The New AT&T". ^[8] With declining sales of traditional home phone lines, AT&T plans to roll out various new medias such as VideoShare, U-verse, and to extend its reach in High Speed Internet into rural areas across the country. He also has stated that AT&T will not make any more acquisitions for the time being. AT&T announced on June 29, 2007, however, that it was acquiring Dobson Communications.

Bell Operating Companies

Of the twenty-two Bell Operating Companies which AT&T owned prior to the 1984 agreement to divest, eleven (BellSouth Telecommunications combines two former BOCs) have become a part of the new AT&T Inc. with the completion of their acquisition of BellSouth Corporation on December 29, 2006:^[9]

• BellSouth Telecommunications (formerly known as Southern Bell and South Central Bell)
• Illinois Bell
• Indiana Bell
• Michigan Bell
• Nevada Bell (formerly known as Bell Telephone Company of Nevada)
• Ohio Bell
• Pacific Bell (formerly Pacific Telephone & Telegraph)
• Southwestern Bell
• Wisconsin Bell (formerly Wisconsin Telephone)

AT&T owns the following operating companies not considered a Bell Operating Company:

• Southern New England Telephone — Now wholly owned, the original AT&T held 16.8% interest prior to 1984.

Former operating companies

The following companies have gone to defunct status under SBC/AT&T ownership:

• Southwestern Bell Texas - a separate operating company created by SBC and merged back into SWBT on December 30, 2001.
• Woodbury Telephone - merged into Southern New England Telephone on June 1, 2007.

"Doing business as" names

On January 15, 2006, AT&T began using new "doing business as" names for its Bell Operating Companies and their holding companies. The following d/b/a list shows the d/b/a names of each company, with its true legal name in parentheses, listed in order of acquisition. Holding companies are listed in bold; the only exception is Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P., which is not a holding company, as it has always been directly held by AT&T Inc. since its inception as Southwestern Bell Corporation.

AT&T Corporation and its holdings have been omitted, as its companies continue to do business under their legal name.

• AT&T Inc.
• AT&T Southwest (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. as a whole)
• AT&T Arkansas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
• AT&T Kansas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
• AT&T Missouri (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
• AT&T Oklahoma (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
• AT&T Texas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
• AT&T West (Pacific Telesis Group)
• AT&T California (Pacific Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T Nevada (Nevada Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T East (Southern New England Telecommunications Corporation)
• AT&T Connecticut (The Southern New England Telephone Company)
• AT&T Midwest (AT&T Teleholdings, Inc.)
• AT&T Illinois (Illinois Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T Indiana (Indiana Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T Michigan (Michigan Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T Ohio (The Ohio Bell Telephone Company)
• AT&T Wisconsin (Wisconsin Bell, Inc.)
• AT&T South (BellSouth Corporation)
• AT&T Southeast (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. as a whole)
• AT&T Alabama (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Florida (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Georgia (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Kentucky (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Louisiana (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Mississippi (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T North Carolina (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T South Carolina (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
• AT&T Tennessee (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)

Corporate governance

AT&T's current board mainly consists of members of SBC's board of directors.

• Randall L. Stephenson — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
• James A. Henderson
• Gilbert F. Amelio
• William F. Aldinger III
• August A. Busch III
• Martin K. Eby, Jr.
• Charles F. Knight
• Jon C. Madonna
• Lynn M. Martin
• Ronald M. Crump
• John B. McCoy
• Mary S. Metz
• Toni Rembe
• S. Donley Ritchey
• Joyce M. Roche
• Laura D'Andrea Tyson
• Patricia P. Upton

Contributions to political campaigns

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, AT&T is the United States' second largest donor to political campaigns, having contributed more than US$ 36 million since 1990, 56% and 44% of which went to Republican and Democratic recipients, respectively. A key political issue for AT&T is the question of which businesses win the right to profit by providing broadband internet access in the United States.^[10]

Censorship controversy

In August 2007, the band Pearl Jam performed in Chicago at Lollapalooza which was being web-broadcast by AT&T. The band, while playing the song "Daughter", started playing a version of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" but with altered lyrics critical of president George Bush. These lyrics included "George Bush, leave this world alone!" and, "George Bush, find yourself another home!". Listeners to AT&T's web broadcast only heard the first line because the rest was censored^[11] although, "AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said that the silencing was a mistake"^[12]

In September 2007, AT&T changed their 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."^[13]

Privacy controversy

Further information: NSA call database

In 2006, the Electronic Frontier Foundation lodged a 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, a retired former AT&T technician, Mark Klein, lodged an affidavit supporting this allegation.^[14] The Department of Justice has stated they will intervene in this lawsuit by means of State Secrets Privilege.^[15]

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.^[16] 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 their privacy policy. The policy, to take 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.' "^[17]

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.^[18]

Places/events/partners named after AT&T

• AT&T Bricktown Ballpark — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (formerly Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark, SBC Bricktown Ballpark)
• AT&T Center — San Antonio, Texas (formerly SBC Center)
• AT&T Champions Classic — Valencia, California
• AT&T Classic — Atlanta, Georgia (formerly BellSouth Classic)
• AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (formerly Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic, Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic, SBC Cotton Bowl Classic) — played in Dallas, Texas, at the Cotton Bowl stadium.
• AT&T Field — Chattanooga, Tennessee (formerly BellSouth Park)
• AT&T National
• AT&T Plaza — Dallas, Texas (the new plaza in front of the American Airlines Center at Victory Plaza)
• AT&T Park — San Francisco, California (formerly Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park)
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
• AT&T Red River Rivalry — Dallas, Texas (formerly Red River Shootout, SBC Red River Rivalry)
• Jones AT&T Stadium — Lubbock, Texas (formerly Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium, Jones SBC Stadium)
• Sponsorship of the #31 car driven by Jeff Burton--Richard Childress Racing--NEXTEL Cup
• AT&T 250 --NASCAR Busch Series race -- Milwaukee Mile
• AT&T WilliamsF1 Team — based in Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

See also

• AT&T Mobility
• Bell System
• Bell System Divestiture
• Regional Bell Operating Company
• Telecommunication
• Lists of public utilities

References

External links

Corporate information

• AT&T corporate website
• AT&T History and science resources at The Franklin Institute's Case Files online exhibit
• Brand evolution of AT&T companies
• Press Release announcing FCC Approval of SBC-Ameritech merger (1999-10-06)
• Bell System Memorial
• ATT's most recent conference call transcripts

Articles

• Unnatural Monopoly: Critical Moments in the Development of the Bell System Monopoly by Adam D. Thierer
• "AT&T buys IBM's Global Network", BBC News, December 8, 1998
• "SBC closes AT&T acquisition", CNet News, November 18, 2005
• "AT&T to buy BellSouth for $67 billion", CNet News, March 5, 2006

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•  • [ e] United States telephone companies
ACS AT&T CenturyTel Cincinnati Bell Deltacom Embarq FairPoint Frontier Hawaiian Telcom Iowa Telecom Puerto Rico Telephone Qwest Seaport Capital TDS Verizon Windstream

•  • [ e] AT&T Inc.
Corporate Directors	Randall L. Stephenson - Chairman and CEO Gilbert F. Amelio August A. Busch III Martin K. Eby, Jr. James A. Henderson Charles F. Knight Lynn M. Martin John B. McCoy Mary S. Metz Toni Rembe S. Donley Ritchey Joyce M. Roche Laura D. Tyson Patricia P. Upton
Holding Companies	AT&T Ameritech BellSouth Pacific Telesis Southern New England Telecommunications
Bell Operating Companies	BellSouth Telecommunications Illinois Bell Indiana Bell Michigan Bell Nevada Bell Ohio Bell Pacific Bell Southwestern Bell Wisconsin Bell
Other Operating Companies	Southern New England Telephone
Competitive local exchange carrier	SBC Telecom
Long Distance Services	AT&T Communications Alascom BellSouth Long Distance SBC Long Distance SNET America
AT&T Mobility	AT&T Wireless Ameritech Mobile Communications BellSouth Mobility BellSouth Mobility DCS Houston Cellular Pacific Bell Wireless Pacific Bell Wireless Northwest SBC Wireless SNET Mobility Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems Southwestern Bell Wireless
Internet services	AT&T Business Internet AT&T WorldNet AT&T Yahoo! Prodigy
Television	U-verse AT&T Homezone
AT&T Advertising & Publishing	Ameritech Publishing BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Pacific Bell Directory SNET Information Services Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages
Internet directories	AnyWho.com Yellowpages.com
Intellectual Property	AT&T Intellectual Property AT&T Knowledge Ventures
Research & Developement	AT&T Labs
Other Assets	SBC Advanced Solutions Sterling Commerce
Annual Revenue: $64.134 billion USD ( FY 2006) Employees: 301,000 Stock Symbol: NYSE: T Website: att.com