AT&T
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| AT&T Inc. | |
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| Type | Public (Template:Nyse)
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| Founded | 1983<ref>The current company named AT&T was incorporated in 1983 as Southwestern Bell Corporation, later SBC Communications. Its buyout of AT&T Corporation resulted in its name changing from SBC Communications, Inc. to AT&T Inc. [1] [2] [3]</ref>
{{#if: | <tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Founder</th><td>{{{founder}}}</td></tr>}} |
| Headquarters | {{{location_city}}}}}{{#if: |, {{{location_country}}}}} {{#if:San Antonio, Texas, USA | San Antonio, Texas, USA}} |
AT&T Inc. (Template:Nyse) is the largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services, wireless service, and DSL Internet access in the United States. The current AT&T, which is based in San Antonio, Texas, United States, is the rechristened SBC Communications, following the purchase of its former parent company, AT&T Corp. As a part of the merger, SBC shed its name and took on the iconic AT&T moniker and the T stock-trading symbol (for "telephone"). The corporation is considered SBC renamed.
Since the break-up of AT&T Corporation in 1984, most of its major components 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 AT&T Corporation. For AT&T Inc, these include many Bell Operating Companies and the long distance division. <ref>Kleinfield, Sonny. The Biggest Company on Earth: A Profile of AT&T. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1981.</ref>
Contents |
[edit] History
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.
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.
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. The following list is the result, with holding companies in bold:
- SBC Communications, Inc.
- SBC Arkansas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
- SBC Kansas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
- SBC Missouri (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
- SBC Oklahoma (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
- SBC Southwest (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. as a whole)
- SBC Texas (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P.)
- SBC West (Pacific Telesis Group)
- SBC California (Pacific Bell Telephone Company)
- SBC Nevada (Nevada Bell Telephone Company)
- SBC East (Southern New England Telecommunications Corporation)
- SBC SNET (The Southern New England Telephone Company)
- SBC Woodbury (The Woodbury Telephone Company)
- SBC Midwest (SBC Teleholdings, Inc., the name adopted for Ameritech in 2003)
- SBC Illinois (Illinois Bell Telephone Company)
- SBC Indiana (Indiana Bell Telephone Company, Inc.)
- SBC Michigan (Michigan Bell Telephone Company)
- SBC Ohio (The Ohio Bell Telephone Company)
- SBC Wisconsin (Wisconsin Bell, Inc.)
[edit] AT&T Merger
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 [8]. 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."
[edit] 2006
On Friday December 29, 2006, the 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).[9] The new combined company retained the name AT&T. [10] When completed, this deal consolidated ownership of both Cingular Wireless and YELLOWPAGES.COM, once joint ventures between BellSouth and AT&T. Wireless services would be offered under the AT&T name.[11][12]
[edit] Bell Operating Companies
Of the twenty-two Bell Operating Companies which AT&T owned prior to the 1984 agreement to divest, nine have become a part of the new AT&T Inc. with the completion of their acquisition of BellSouth Corporation on December 29, 2006:
- BellSouth Telecommunications (f/k/a Southern Bell/South Central Bell)
- Illinois Bell
- Indiana Bell
- Michigan Bell
- Nevada Bell (f/k/a Bell Telephone Company of Nevada)
- Ohio Bell
- Pacific Bell (f/k/a Pacific Telephone & Telegraph)
- Southwestern Bell
- Wisconsin Bell (f/k/a Wisconsin Telephone)
[edit] Other Operating Companies
AT&T owns the following operating companies not considered Bell Operating Companies:
- Southern New England Telephone — Now wholly owned, the original AT&T held 16.8% interest prior to 1984.
- Woodbury Telephone, a subsidiary of Southern New England Telephone.
[edit] D/B/A Names
On January 15, 2006, AT&T began using new d/b/a 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 true, legal name.
- AT&T Inc.
- 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 Southwest (Southwestern Bell Telephone, L.P. as a whole)
- 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 Woodbury (The Woodbury 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 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 Southeast (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc. as a whole)
- AT&T Tennessee (BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.)
[edit] 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
- Edward E. Whitacre Jr.
- 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
[edit] Privacy controversy
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 [13]. The Department of Justice has stated they will intervene in this lawsuit by means of State Secrets Privilege [14].
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.[15] 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.' "[16]
[edit] AT&T Corporate Web Site History
Although Southwestern Bell Corporation (later named SBC, later took the name AT&T, inc) was incorporated in 1983, the company currently uses its parent company's history (which it merged with in 2005) as its own history. According to the Official AT&T Corporate History Websitethe history of the company begins in 1885. The AT&T Website also details milestones in the company's history, history of the telephone, history of the AT&T network, television, and AT&T history links.
[edit] 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)
- AT&T WilliamsF1 Team — based in Grove, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- Jeff Burton--Richard Childress Racing--Nascar Nextel Cup Series
[edit] See also
- AT&T Mobility
- Ameritech
- American Telephone & Telegraph
- BellSouth
- Pacific Telesis
- SBC Communications
- Southern New England Telecommunications
- Bell System
- Bell System Divestiture
- Regional Bell Operating Company
- Telecommunication
- Lists of public utilities
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- AT&T corporate website
- AT&T Center (formerly SBC Center) in San Antonio
- Legal Battle with BellSouth over Domain Names: U.S. Supreme Court Case 05-718 Reuben Norman, Petitioner v. BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
- AT&T History and science resources at The Franklin Institute's Case Files online exhibit
- Stock Quote from Yahoo!
- Southwestern Bell Freedom Phone
- Bell System Memorial
- July 2005 IEEE Article
- Yahoo! — AT&T Corp. Company Profile
- ATT's most recent conference call transcripts
- 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
- "SBC launches 'new' AT&T", AT&T archive, November 18, 2005
- "AT&T to buy BellSouth for $67 billion", CNet News, March 5, 2006
- "AT&T gets final approval to acquire BellSouth, CNNMoney, December 29, 2006
- "AT&T and BellSouth Join to Create a Premier Global Communications Company", AT&T News Room, December 29, 2006
