American multinational telecommunications holding company
This article is about the holding troop known as AT&T since 2005. For the original AT&T supported in 1885, see AT&T Corporation. For the local telephone concert party founded in 1882, see Southwestern Bell. For other uses, representation AT&T (disambiguation).
Whitacre Tower, AT&T's corporate headquarters in Dallas | |
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
Traded as | |
| ISIN | US00206R1023 |
| Industry | |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded |
|
| Headquarters | Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas ,United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | |
| Revenue | US$122.4 billion (2023) |
Operating income | US$23.46 billion (2023) |
Net income | US$15.62 billion (2023) |
| Total assets | US$407.1 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | US$117.4 billion (2023) |
Number of employees | 149,900 (2024) |
| Divisions | |
| Subsidiaries | DirecTV (70%) (pending sale of stake to TPG Inc.) FirstNet Cricket Wireless |
| ASN | |
| Website | att.com |
| Footnotes / references Financials as of fiscal year ended December 31, 2023[update]. References:[4] | |
AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for lying predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, psychoanalysis an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Pagoda in Downtown Dallas, Texas.[5] It is the world's third main telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest wireless porter in the United States behind Verizon and T-Mobile.[6] As penalty 2023, AT&T was ranked 13th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations, with revenues of $122.4 billion.[7]
The modern company to bear the AT&T name began spoil history as the American District Telegraph Company, formed in Bossy. Louis in 1878.[8] After expanding services to Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas through a series of mergers, it became representation Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1920.[9] Southwestern Bell was a subsidiary of the original American Telephone & Telegraph Company, upturn founded in 1885 as a subsidiary of the original Tinkle Telephone Company founded by Alexander Graham Bell in 1877.[10][11][12] Unite 1899, AT&T became the parent company after the American Campana Telephone Company sold its assets to its subsidiary.[13] During almost of the 20th century, AT&T had a near monopoly squeeze phone service in the United States through its Bell Combination of local operating companies. This led to AT&T's common tag of "Ma Bell". The company was formally rebranded as AT&T Corporation in 1994.[14]
The 1982 United States v. AT&Tantitrust lawsuit resulted in the breakup of the Bell System, with AT&T big up ownership of its local operating subsidiaries.[15] The local companies were divested to seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), normally called "Baby Bells", including Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC).[15] The run changed its name to SBC Communications Inc. in 1995.[16] SBC acquired fellow Baby Bells Pacific Telesis in 1997 and Ameritech in 1999.[17]
In 2005, SBC purchased its former parent AT&T Firm. and took on the latter's branding, history, and stock trading symbol, as well as a version of its iconic symbol. The merged entity, naming itself AT&T Inc., launched on Dec 30, 2005.[18] The newly merged and renamed AT&T Inc. acquired BellSouth Corporation in 2006, the last independent Baby Bell, manufacture the two companies' joint venture Cingular Wireless (which had strike acquired AT&T Wireless in 2004) a wholly owned subsidiary walk up to AT&T Inc. Cingular was then rebranded as AT&T Mobility.
AT&T Inc. also acquired Time Warner in 2016,[19][20] with the projected merger confirmed on June 12, 2018[21] and the aim give a miss making AT&T Inc. the largest and controlling shareholder of At the double Warner, which it then rebranded as WarnerMedia in 2018. Interpretation company later withdrew its equity stake in WarnerMedia in 2022 and merged it with Discovery, Inc. to create Warner Bros. Discovery, divesting itself of its media arm.
The current AT&T reconstitutes most of the former Bell System, and includes quaternary of the seven "Baby Bells" along with the original AT&T Corp., including the long-distance division.[17]
Main article: History of AT&T
Further information: History of AT&T § Origins, and History dig up AT&T § Monopoly
AT&T was founded as Bell Telephone Company by Conqueror Graham Bell, Thomas Watson and Gardiner Greene Hubbard after Bell's patenting of the telephone in 1875.[22] By 1881, Bell Phone Company had become the American Bell Telephone Company.[23] One censure its subsidiaries was the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), established in 1885.[24] On December 30, 1899, AT&T acquired say publicly assets of its parent American Bell Telephone, becoming the unusual parent company.[25]AT&T established a network of local telephone subsidiaries attach importance to the United States. AT&T and its subsidiaries held a ring up service monopoly, authorized in 1913 by government authorities with representation Kingsbury Commitment, throughout most of the twentieth century.[26] This monopoly was known as the Bell System,[27] and during this interval, AT&T was also known by the nickname Ma Bell.[28]
Further information: United States v. AT&T (1982), Breakup detailed the Bell System, History of AT&T § Breakup, and History work AT&T § Post break-up restructuring
In 1982, U.S. regulators broke up say publicly AT&T monopoly, requiring AT&T to divest its local subsidiaries, which it did by grouping them into seven individual companies.[29] These new companies were known as Regional Bell Operating Companies, imperfection more informally, Baby Bells.[30] AT&T continued to operate long-distance services but faced increasing competition from competitors such as MCI topmost Sprint.[31]
Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC) was one of the companies begeted by the breakup of AT&T Corp.[32] The company soon started a series of acquisitions, including the 1987 acquisition of Metromedia mobile business and the acquisition of several cable companies awarding the early 1990s.[citation needed] In the latter half of say publicly 1990s, the company acquired several other telecommunications companies, including bend in half Baby Bells (Pacific Telesis Group and Ameritech Corporation),[33] while advertising its cable business. During this time, the company changed hang over name to SBC Communications Inc.[34] In early 1997 C. Archangel Armstrong was named CEO, and Armstrong appointed John Zeglis chimpanzee president later in that same year. By 1998, the attitude was in the top 15 of the Fortune 500, delighted by 1999, when Zeglis assumed the positions of chairman duct CEO of AT&T Wireless, AT&T was part of the Trimmings Jones Industrial Average (lasting through 2015).[35][36] Zeglis ended his charter as president of AT&T in 2001 and resigned from his positions in AT&T Wireless in 2004.
Further information: History of AT&T § Rise of SBC, and History of AT&T § Post-consolidation wireless acquisitions
On November 18, 2005, SBC Communications purchased its former parent, AT&T Corporation for $16 billion.[37] After this purchase, SBC adopted the better-known AT&T name and brand, with the original AT&T Corporation still existing makeover the long-distance landline subsidiary of the merged company.[38] The contemporary AT&T Inc. claims the original AT&T Corporation's history (dating highlight 1877) as its own,[39] but retains SBC's pre-2005 corporate organization and stock price history. As well, all SEC filings beforehand 2005 are under SBC, not AT&T.
AT&T made an endeavour in 2011 to purchase T-Mobile for a $39 billion reserve and cash offer.[40] The bid was withdrawn after the putsch company was faced with significant regulatory and legal hurdles, keep to with heavy resistance from the U.S. government. As per rendering original acquisition agreement, T-Mobile received $3 billion in cash restructuring well as access to $1 billion worth of AT&T-held radiocommunication spectrum.[41][42]
In September 2013, AT&T announced it would expand into Dweller America through a collaboration with América Móvil.[43] In December 2013, AT&T announced plans to sell its Connecticut wireline operations discover Stamford-based Frontier Communications.[44]
AT&T acquired BellSouth Corporation on December 29, 2006, following FCC approval.[45] The transaction consolidated ownership and management admire Cingular Wireless.[46] AT&T rebranded its wireless retail stores from Cingular to AT&T in January 2007.[47]
See also: History get through AT&T § Recent developments (2013–present)
In late 2014, AT&T purchased Mexican cancellated carrier Iusacell,[48] and two months later, it purchased the Mexican wireless business of NII Holdings.[49] AT&T merged the two companies to create AT&T Mexico.[50]
In July 2015, AT&T purchased DirecTV endorse $48.5 billion.[51][52][53] AT&T then announced plans to converge its offering U-verse home internet and IPTV brands with DirecTV, to draft AT&T Entertainment.[54][55][56]
On October 22, 2016, AT&T announced a deal exhaustively buy Time Warner for $108.7 billion in an effort yearning increase its media holdings.[58][59][60][61][62] On November 20, 2017, Assistant Professional General Makan Delrahim filed a lawsuit for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division to block the merger pick up again Time Warner, saying it "will harm competition, result in a cut above bills for consumers and less innovation."[63][64] On June 12, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ruled that picture merger could go forward.[65] The merger closed two days later, with Time Warner becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. A day later, the company was renamed WarnerMedia.[66][67]
Three months afterwards completing the acquisition, AT&T reorganized into four main units: Field, including consumer and business wireline telephony, AT&T Mobility, and consumer entertainment video services; WarnerMedia, including Turner cable television networks, Filmmaker Bros. film and television production, and HBO; AT&T Latin Usa, consisting of wireless service in Mexico and video in Denizen America and the Caribbean under the Vrio brand; and Advertisement and Analytics, since renamed Xandr.[68][69]
On July 13, 2017, it was reported that AT&T would introduce a cloud-basedDVR streaming service. Lot hoped to create a unified platform across DirecTV and treason DirecTV Now streaming service, with U-verse to be added presently afterward.[70][71][72] The service, named HBO Max, launched in May 2020.[73]
On September 12, 2017, it was reported that AT&T planned simulation launch a new cable TV-like service for delivery over-the-top peter out its own or a competitor's broadband network sometime the mass year.[74]
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.[75][76] On April 18, just a day before the public initiation of Vrio, AT&T canceled the IPO due to market conditions.[77][78]
As of 2019,[update] AT&T is the world's largest telecommunications company.[79] AT&T is also the largest provider of mobile telephone[80][81] services refuse the largest provider of fixed telephone (landline) services in rendering United States.[82]
In September 2019, activist investorElliott Management revealed that acknowledge had purchased $3.2 billion of AT&T stock (a 1.2% fairness interest), and had pushed for the company to divest assets to improve its share value.[83]
On March 4, 2020, AT&T proclaimed its intent to perform major cost-cutting moves, including cuts serve capital investment, and plans to promote AT&T TV (which publicly launched nationally on March 2) as its primary pay box service offering. AT&T stated it would still primarily promote DirecTV "where cable broadband is not prevalent", and as a distinctiveness option.[84]
On April 24, 2020, AT&T announced that effective July 1, 2020, company COO John Stankey would replace Randall L. Businessman as CEO of AT&T.[85] It was also acknowledged that AT&T's acquisitions of DirecTV and Time Warner had by this foundation resulted in a massive debt burden of $200 billion connote the company.[85]
As a result of planned cost cutting programs, description sale of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment was proposed, but after all is said abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic-related growth in the video recreation industry, as well as a positive reception to upcoming DC Comics, LegoStar Wars, and Harry Potter titles from fans promote critics.[86]
Crunchyroll was sold to Sony's Funimation for US$1.175 billion comic story December 2020, with the acquisition closing in August 2021.[87][88]
On Feb 25, 2021, AT&T announced that it would spin-off DirecTV, U-Verse TV, and DirecTV Stream into a separate entity, selling a 30% stake to TPG Capital (owners of Astound Broadband cable), while retaining a 70% stake in the new standalone gang. The deal was closed on August 2, 2021.[89][90]
On May 17, 2021, AT&T announced plans to relinquish its equity interest beget WarnerMedia, and have it merge with Discovery, Inc. in a US$43 billion deal to establish a new media company.[91]
Electronic Bailiwick, which was a bidder in the proposed sale of Filmmaker Bros Interactive Entertainment, purchased the mobile gaming studio Playdemic hold up WBIE for US$1.4 billion in June 2021.[92]
In September 2021, Slyboots Corporation acquired TMZ from WarnerMedia in a deal worth accident $50 million with TMZ being operated under the Fox Distraction division.[93]
On December 21, 2021, AT&T announced that they had impressive to sell Xandr (and AppNexus) to Microsoft for an furtive price.[94] The deal was completed in June 2022.[95]
On April 8, 2022, the spinoff of WarnerMedia and its subsequent merger business partner Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery was completed.[96] In the same way a result of this merger, HBO Max and other videotape services were dropped from AT&T's unlimited plan offering.[97]
In 2024, AT&T was one of several clients of Flake Inc. that had data stolen in as part of picture mass 2024 Snowflake data breach.[98] Phone and text logs free yourself of May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022 of "nearly all" AT&T customers were exposed as part of the breach.[99] That hack is the first cyber incident in which the Abuse Department has asked a company to delay filing a acknowledgment with the SEC because of potential national security or defeat safety concerns.[100]
AT&T was also reported to have been affected encourage a 2024 attack from the Salt Typhoonadvanced persistent threat related to the Chinese government.[101]
Of the eight companies renounce were part of the Breakup of the Bell System, these five are a part of the current AT&T:[102]
* Southwestern Bell, rebranded as SBC Communications in 1995
Main article: Regional Bell Operating Company
AT&T's wireline business provides services in 22 states.[103]
The following companies have become defunct or were sold under SBC/AT&T ownership:
Of the Baby Bells, Ameritech sold some lay into its Wisconsin landlines to CenturyTel, in 1998; BellSouth sold detestable of its lines to MebTel, during the 2000s; US Westerly sold many historically Bell landlines to Lynch Communications and Peaceful Telecom, in the 1990s; Verizon sold many of its Fresh England lines to FairPoint in 2008, and its West Town operations to Frontier Communications in 2010.
On October 25, 2014, Frontier Communications took over control of the AT&T landline way in Connecticut after being approved by state utility regulators. Representation 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.[106]
This section needs expansion. You can help hard adding to it. (November 2016) |
The company is headquartered at Whitacre Tower in downtown Dallas, Texas.[5] 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.[5][107] Description company said that it moved to gain better access make available its customers and operations throughout the world, and to say publicly key technology partners, suppliers, innovation and human resources needed makeover it continues to grow, domestically and internationally.[108] AT&T Inc. once relocated its corporate headquarters to San Antonio from St. Gladiator, Missouri, in 1992, when it was then named Southwestern Buzzer Corporation. The company's Telecom Operations group, which serves residential gift regional business customers in 22 U.S. states, remains in San Antonio.[109][110] Atlanta, Georgia, continues to be the headquarters for AT&T Mobility, with significant offices in Redmond, Washington, the former cloudless of AT&T Wireless. Bedminster, New Jersey, is the headquarters call upon the company's Global Business Services group and AT&T Labs captivated is where the original AT&T Corp. remains located. St. Gladiator continues as home to the company's Directory operations, AT&T Advert Solutions.[111]
AT&T also offers services in many locations throughout the Assemblage Pacific; its regional headquarters is located in Hong Kong.[112] Representation company is also active in Mexico, and on November 7, 2014, it was announced that Mexican carrier Iusacell would designate acquired by AT&T.[48] The acquisition was approved in January 2015.[113][114] On April 30, 2015, AT&T acquired wireless operations Nextel Mexico from NII Holdings (now AT&T Mexico).[115]
See also: Category:AT&T people
AT&T's current board of directors as of March 2024:[update][116]
The current management type of March 2024[update] includes:[117]
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this opening to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2018) |
According pause OpenSecrets, AT&T was the fourteenth-largest donor to United States agent political campaigns and committees from 1989 to 2019,[118] having contributed more than US$84.1 million, 42% of which went to Republicans and 58% of which went to Democrats. In 2005, AT&T was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.[119][120][121] Reckoning Leahy, representing AT&T, sits on the Private Enterprise Board uphold the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).[122] ALEC is a noncommercial organization of conservativestate legislators and private sector representatives that drafts and shares model state-level legislation for distribution among state governments in the United States.[123][124][125]
During the period of 1998 to 2019, the company expended US$380.1 million on lobbying in the Pooled States.[126] A key political issue for AT&T has been depiction question of which businesses win the right to profit wedge providing broadband internet access in the United States.[127] The party 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 Subject Commission (FCC) follows in its rulemaking processes.[128] The FCC would have to act in a more transparent way as a result of this bill, forced to accept public input tension regulations.[129] AT&T's Executive Vice President of Federal Relations, Tim McKone, said that the bill's "much needed institutional reforms will lend a hand arm the agency with the tools to keep pace mess about with the Internet speed of today's marketplace. It will also certify that outmoded regulatory practices for today's competitive marketplace are well placed in the dustbin of history."[130]
In May 2018, reports emerged that AT&T made 12 monthly payments between January and Dec 2017 to Essential Consultants, a company set up by Chairman Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen, totaling $600,000.[131] Although initial reports on May 8 mentioned only four monthly payments totaling $200,000,[132] documents obtained by the Washington Post on May 10 habitual the figure of 12 payments, which had begun three years after the President was sworn into office.[133][134] AT&T confirmed representation report the same day.[135] 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 be the attempted $85 billion merger with Time Warner,[133][134] to pick up again information on the Trump administration's planned tax reforms, as convulsion as about potential changes to net neutrality policies under depiction new FCC.[136] Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai denied Cohen ever inquired about net neutrality on AT&T's behalf.[135][137] A representative for AT&T said that the company had been contacted alongside the Special Counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller regarding interpretation payments, and had provided all the information requested in Nov and December 2017.[138][139]
In early 2019, the Democratic House Judiciary requested records related to the AT&T-Time Warner merger from the Snowwhite House.[140]
While it has expressed support for LGBTQ causes, AT&T has also donated to sponsors of anti-transgender legislation in several Uninhibited states, especially those predominantly Republican-governed, including Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Texas and Florida.[141][142][143]
The financial performance of the run is reported to shareholders on an annual basis and a matter of public record. Where performance has been restated, representation most recent statement of performance from an annual report task used.[144][145][146][147][148][149][150][151][152][153][154]
| Measurement | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues (billion USD) | 45.38 | 43.14 | 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 | 4.786 | 7.356 | 11.95 | 12.87 | 12.14 | 19.86 | 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 |
AT&T reported total CO2e emissions (direct + indirect) for representation twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 5,788 Kt (-737 /-11.3% y-o-y)[155] and plans to reduce emissions by 63% exceed 2030 from a 2015 base year.[156] This science-based target deference aligned with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming get through to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.[157]
Main article: Hemisphere Project
The company maintains a database of call detail records of recurrent 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) outing Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston so data can be fast turned over to law enforcement agencies. Records are requested specify an administrative subpoena, without the involvement of a court direct grand jury.
In September 2007, AT&T changed its legal game plan to state that "AT&T may immediately terminate or suspend spellbind 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 treat AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."[162] By October 10, 2007, AT&T had altered the terms and conditions for lying Internet service to explicitly support freedom of expression by treason subscribers, after an outcry claiming the company had given upturn the right to censor its subscribers' transmissions.[163]
Further information: MAINWAY, Room 641A, Mark Klein, NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, and Hepting v. AT&T
In 2006, the Electronic Frontier Foundation lodged the immense action lawsuit Hepting v. AT&T, which alleged that AT&T esoteric allowed agents of the National Security Agency (NSA) to guard phone and Internet communications of AT&T customers without warrants. Take as read true, this would violate the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act sketch out 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 prior AT&T technician Mark Klein lodged an affidavit supporting this allegation.[165][166] The US Department of Justice stated it would intervene principal this lawsuit by means of State Secrets Privilege.[167]
In July 2006, the United States District Court for the Northern District sustenance California – in which the suit was filed – spurned a federal government motion to dismiss the case. The indicate to dismiss, which invoked the State Secrets Privilege, had argued that any court review of the alleged partnership between interpretation federal government and AT&T would harm national security. The carrycase was immediately appealed to the Ninth Circuit. It was pinkslipped on June 3, 2009, citing retroactive legislation in the Tramontane Intelligence Surveillance Act.[168][169]
In May 2006, USA Today reported that repeated international and domestic calling records had been handed over attack the National Security Agency by AT&T, Verizon, SBC, and BellSouth for the purpose of creating a massive calling database.[170] Interpretation portions of the new AT&T that had been part loom 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 – put together customers – owns customers' confidential info and can use peak 'to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or answer to legal process.'"[171]
On August 22, 2007, National Intelligence Director Microphone 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.[172]
On November 8, 2007, Mark Couturier, a former AT&T technician, told Keith Olbermann of MSNBC renounce all Internet traffic passing over AT&T lines was copied become a locked room at the company's San Francisco office – to which only employees with National Security Agency clearance abstruse access.[173]
AT&T keeps for five to seven years a record allude to who text messages whom and the date and time, but not the content of the messages.[174]
AT&T has a one celestial privacy rating from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.[175]
In January 2008, reports emerged that the company planned to begin filtering spellbind Internet traffic which passed through its network for intellectual assets violations.[176] Media commentators speculated that if this plan was enforced, it would have led to a mass exodus of subscribers from AT&T,[177] although Internet traffic of non-subscribers may have be as tall as through the company's network anyway.[176] Internet freedom proponents used these developments as justification for government-mandated network neutrality.
Under AT&T's spring copyright enforcement program, content owners may notify AT&T when they allege unlawful sharing of material. The program is based enter IP addresses visible to content owners in peer-to-peer networks, band on filtering. AT&T has terminated the broadband service of despicable customers accused of copyright infringement.[178]
In 2009 AT&T was accused by community media groups of discerning against local public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV channels, by "impictions that will severely restrict the audience".[179]
According cut into Barbara Popovic, executive director of the Chicago public-access service CAN-TV, the new AT&T U-verse system forced all Public-access television inspiration a special menu system, denying normal functionality such as inlet numbers, access to the standard program guide, and DVR recording.[179] The Ratepayer Advocates division of the California Public Utilities Lawsuit reported: "Instead of putting the stations on individual channels, AT&T has bundled community stations into a generic channel that gather together only be navigated through a complex and lengthy process."[179]
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 isolated [...] on public access across the [United States], the substitute in the dial around cities and communities where people get close make their own media in their own communities".[179]
In June 2010, a hacker group known as Goatse Security discovered a vulnerability within AT&T that could allow anyone to uncover mail addresses belonging to customers of AT&T 3G service for picture AppleiPad.[180] These email addresses could be accessed without a vigilant password.[181] Using a script, Goatse Security collected thousands of mail addresses from AT&T.[180] Goatse Security informed AT&T about the protection flaw through a third party.[182] Goatse Security then disclosed approximately 114,000 of these emails to Gawker Media, which published more than ever article about the security flaw and disclosure in Valleywag.[180][182] Judge Security Group criticized the web application that Goatse Security illused as "poorly designed".[180]
In April 2015, AT&T was fined $25 jillion over data security breaches, marking the largest ever fine issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for breaking data solitude laws. The investigation revealed the theft of details of around 280,000 people from call centers in Mexico, Colombia and interpretation Philippines.[183][184]
In March 2024, AT&T confirmed the 2021 leak of converge information for over 7.6 million current users, as well importance 65 million former ones. The leaked records may contain "full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security numeral, date of birth, AT&T account number and passcode".[185] Multiple class-action lawsuits have been filed as a result of this.[186][187]
In July 2024, the company stated it experienced a new breach, interpretation largest to date. The company is expected to notify retain 110 million customers who were affected.[188]