Talk:AT&T/Archive 2

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Archive 1

Archive 2

Edit Request: History and Corporate Governance

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. I’m submitting these edits to correct some historical inaccuracies/omissions in the History subsections and provide the most up to date information for corporate governance. Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 03:57, 23 April 2021 (UTC)

History – Origin and growth (1885-1981)

In first sentence, suggest adding Thomas Watson in list of founders’ names as he was among the original founders of Bell Telephone Company.^[1]

Suggest adding the following as a (new) second sentence in this section to establish the Bell Telephone Company’s name change to the American Bell Telephone Company in 1880/1881. Suggested new verbiage in bold below:

By 1881, Bell Telephone Company had become the American Bell Telephone Company.^[2]

Second and third sentences: Suggest revising what are currently the second and third sentences to read as follows, which will correct an inaccuracy on acquisition date of American Bell Telephone, correctly describe the nature of the acquisition and break up the copy. Revised, new content in this sentence would read as follows (in bold):

One of its subsidiaries was the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T), established in 1885.^[3] On December 30, 1899, AT&T acquired the assets of its parent American Bell Telephone, becoming the new parent company. ^[4] AT&T established a network of local telephone subsidiaries in the United States.

Suggest breaking the second half of the third sentence into its own new sentence to break up copy and add year of authorization for the Kingsbury Commitment. Updated this sentence would read as follows (updated verbiage in bold):

AT&T and its subsidiaries held a phone service monopoly, authorized in 1913 by government authorities with the Kingsbury Commitment, throughout most of the twentieth century.^[5]

History – Breakup and reformation (1982-2004)

First sentence: Subsidiaries were local, not regional^[6]; suggest changing word “regional” to “local.”
Also suggest updating first sentence to provide the number of individual companies (seven). Revised, the updated first sentence would read (changes in bold):

In 1982, U.S. regulators broke up the AT&T monopoly, requiring AT&T to divest its local subsidiaries, which it did by grouping them into seven individual companies. ^[7]

Third sentence: Suggest revising as follows to correctly describe the nature of competition for long distance services – currently the sentence suggests the breakup as causation for competition, which isn’t necessarily the case. Suggested revision in bold, with sourcing:

AT&T continued to operate long-distance services which faced increasing competition from new competitors such as MCI and Sprint.^[8]

Fourth sentence: Propose updating mention of Southwestern Bell to “Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC)” to differentiate between the new parent in 1984, Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC), and its inherited child Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (SWBT), which was formed in 1917 as a subsidiary of American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T Co.)^[9]

Sixth sentence: Propose specifying number (two) and name (Pacific Telesis Group and Ameritech Corporation) of Baby Bells acquired by Southwestern Bell Corporation. Updated, the proposed revisions would read as follows (updates in bold, w/sourcing):

In the latter half of the 1990s, the company acquired several other telecommunications companies, including two Baby Bells (Pacific Telesis Group and Ameritech Corporation),^[10] while selling its cable business.

Seventh sentence: Propose updating SBC Communications to SBC Communications, Inc. to accurately reflect the new company name following the name change. ^[11]^[12]

Final sentence – providing two citations for this claim to address “Citation needed”: ^[13] ^[14]

History – Purchase of former parent and acquisitions (2005–2014)

First sentence: Propose adding specific date of SBC Communications Inc. purchase of AT&T Corp., as well as correcting company names. Updated, proposed sentence would read as follows (edits in bold):

On November 18, 2005, SBC Communications, Inc. purchased AT&T Corp. for $16 billion.^[15]

Third sentence: PRopose updating company name (to reflect AT&T Inc.) and correcting year of earliest history (1877). Updated, this sentence would read as follows (updates in bold, w/sourcing):

The current AT&T Inc. claims the original AT&T Corp.’s history (dating to 1877) as its own^[16], but retains SBC’s 1983-2005 corporate structure and pre-2005 stock price history.

Suggest adding the following to account for AT&T’s acquisition of BellSouth Corporation and management of Cingular Wireless. Proposed additions in bold w/sourcing:

AT&T acquired BellSouth Corporation on December 29, 2006 following FCC approval.^[17] The transaction consolidated ownership and management of Cingular Wireless. ^[18] AT&T rebranded its wireless retail stores from Cingular to AT&T in January 2007.^[19]

Corporate governance

Recommend the following updates to bring the board of directors list current as of April 2021:

Remove Randall Stephenson as executive chairman due to his retirement as executive chairman on December 31, 2020.^[20]

Please update William E. Kennard’s title to read “Chairman” (due to his election of November 9, 2020) and move up toward beginning of order. ^[21]

Please remove Richard W. Fisher as he will be retiring from the board effective April 30, 2021.^[22]

Recommend the following updates to bring the management list current as of April 2021:

Please remove John J. Stephens (as he retired on April 1, 2021) and replace with Pascal Desroches, the new chief financial officer (CFO).^[23]

Thanks @Jon Gray:, I've done all these pretty much as requested except for the board changes - I suggest redoing that as a separate request once they actually happen and there's a source (company web page is fine for that) saying so. I'm watching the article now so I can implement that little update reasonably quickly.

If you want to make it easier for me to complete your edit requests, you could include the whole section as you imagine it at the end of your (great) detailed list of changes. (ie. like you often do for individual sentences, but do the whole section). The mechanics of editing each particular sentence then putting that all back together often take me longer than checking your references for each of the changes. A potential problem with that is subsequent edits made by other editors after you grabbed the section to work on would get lost. To address that, just leave a link to the revision you started from. That can be done by going into the article history and clicking on the date/time of the revison you worked from then adding that as a link, like [this]. Then I can dif out their changes and ensure they are not lost in the process.

Cheers, AntiVan (talk) 13:00, 25 April 2021 (UTC)

@AntiVan: Thanks very much! And noted re: the board changes - I'll submit a separate request once that's official. Also, appreciate the tip re: including the whole section toward the end to make things easier to follow, will do. Thanks again! Jon Gray (talk) 02:09, 29 April 2021 (UTC)

References

[1]
Bruce, Robert (1973). Bell: Alexander Graham Bell and the Conquest of Solitude. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 231. ISBN 0-316-11251-8. During June, therefore, Hubbard, Sanders, Bell and Watson prepared for the formal creation of a telephone company all their own. On July 9, 1877, the Bell Telephone Company was born as a 'voluntary association,' unincorporated and therefore without any stated capitalization.
[2]
Brooks, John (1976). Telephone: The First Hundred Years. New York: Harper & Row. p. 73. ISBN 0-06-010540-2. Early in 1881, the American Bell Telephone Company – as it came to be called beginning in March 1880 – issued its first annual report to stockholders.
[3]
"AT&T's History of Invention and Breakups". The New York Times. February 13, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2021. 1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph Company is created as a subsidiary of Bell Telephone to build and operate a long-distance telephone network.
[4]
Brooks, John (1975). TELEPHONE The First Hundred Years. New York: Harper & Row. p. 107. ISBN 0-06-01540-2. Accordingly, the American Bell management bad farewell to Boston and gradually moved its offices to downtown Manhattan, and on December 30, 1899 – the next-to-last day of the old century – AT&T, with a new capitalization of over seventy million dollars, became the parent company of the Bell System, which, of course, it has remained ever since. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
[5]
Griffin, Jodie (December 19, 2013). "100th Anniversary of the Kingsbury Commitment". Public Knowledge. Retrieved April 22, 2021. In 1913, the U.S. filed an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T to break up its growing monopoly in the phone service market. While Congress contemplated nationalizing the long distance telephone network, AT&T settled the antitrust lawsuit with the Kingsbury Commitment. In the Kingsbury Commitment, AT&T agreed to allow independent local telephone companies to interconnect with AT&T's long distance network, divest Western Union, and refrain from purchasing other companies if the Interstate Commerce Commission objected.
[6]
Pollack, Andrew (August 4, 1983). "A.T.& T., U.S. AGREE ON FINAL ASPECTS OF BELL BREAKUP". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021. The Bell name will be used instead by Ma's offspring - the 22 local operating companies that are to be split from American Telephone on Jan. 1. They provide 80 percent of the nation's local telephone service.
[7]
Pollack, Andrew (August 4, 1983). "A.T.& T., U.S. AGREE ON FINAL ASPECTS OF BELL BREAKUP". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021. The local companies, grouped into seven regional holding companies, will provide local telephone service and can sell, but not manufacture, telephone equipment.
[8]
Goldblatt, Henry (October 11, 1999). "Smackdown! The battle between AT&T, MCI WorldCom, and Sprint looks like a professional wrestling match. Will investors end up in a chokehold?". Fortune. Retrieved April 22, 2021. In July, Sprint fired the opening salvo in the latest long-distance price war, offering calls for 5 cents a minute. That move has fueled a rivalry as heated as any World Wrestling Federation-style smackdown, complete with old feuds, tons of self-promotion, and a need to save face at all costs. In fact, you can almost imagine the billing the WWF would give the matchup: Tonight at the Worcester Centrum Center--"Stone Cold" Bill Esrey of Sprint, Mike "The Maniac" Armstrong of AT&T, and Bernie "Buy 'Em Out" Ebbers of MCI WorldCom.
[9]
Hast, Adele (1992). International Directory of Company Histories. Detroit: St. James Press. p. 329. ISBN 1-55862-061-3. Ownership of Southwestern Bell Telephone Company was officially transferred to Southwestern Bell Corporation on January 1, 1984.
[10]
"TELEPHONE INDUSTRY". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved April 22, 2021. After Congress de-regulated the telecommunications industry in February 1996, allowing regional companies to compete with long distance carriers, among other rule changes, SBC began to expand. In 1996 it merged with Pacific Telesis Group, and in 1998 the company bought the Ameritech Corporation.
[11]
"TELEPHONE INDUSTRY". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved April 22, 2021. In 1994 Southwestern Bell initiated a name change to SBC Communications Incorporated.
[12]
Van, Jon (November 19, 2005). "SBC wraps up acquisition of AT&T". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2021. SBC Communications Inc. completed its acquisition of AT&T Corp. on Friday after California regulators approved the $16 billion deal.
[13]
"NOVEMBER 1, 1999 Changes to Dow Jones Industrial Average". Dow Jones Industrial Stocks. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
[14]
Gaffen, David (March 6, 2015). "At long last, Dow gets a taste for Apple". Reuters. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Apple Inc AAPL.O, the largest U.S. company by market value, will join the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI, replacing AT&T Inc T.N, in a change that reflects the dominant position of the iPhone maker in the U.S. consumer economy.
[15]
Van, Jon (November 19, 2005). "SBC wraps up acquisition of AT&T". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2021. SBC Communications Inc. completed its acquisition of AT&T Corp. on Friday after California regulators approved the $16 billion deal.
[16]
Danielian, NR (1939). AT&T The Story of Industrial Conquest. New York: The Vanguard Press. p. 9. ISBN 0405060386. The Bell Telephone Company, a Massachusetts voluntary association, was formed on July 9, 1877, with Gardiner G. Hubbard as trustee. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
[17]
Bajaj, Vikas (December 30, 2006). "BellSouth and AT&T Close Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Federal regulators approved AT&T's $85.8 billion acquisition of BellSouth yesterday, allowing the companies to close their delayed deal.
[18]
Vorman, Julie (January 21, 2007). "AT&T closes $86 billion BellSouth deal". Reuters. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Now four of the seven companies that were spun off from the original AT&T in 1984 are back under one roof, and it includes 66.1 million telephone lines, 58.7 million Cingular Wireless customers and 11.6 million high-speed Internet customers.
[19]
Searcey, Dionne (January 12, 2007). "Bye, Cingular, in AT&T Rebranding". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2021. But in the long term, Mr. Lerman said, AT&T will benefit from the efficiency of having its well-known name appear on all its services. AT&T executives wouldn't say how much the rebranding will cost as they change signs in roughly 2,000 stores as well as employee uniforms and billing letterhead. But executives estimate 20% of the expected operating-expense savings from the merger will come from advertising, because of the single AT&T brand.
[20]
Lee, Edmund (April 24, 2020). "AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Mr. Stephenson, 60, will stay on as executive chairman of the board through this year, the company said in a statement.
[21]
Sybert, Sarah (November 9, 2020). "William Kennard to Become AT&T Board Chairman; Randall Stephenson Quoted". GovConWire. Retrieved April 22, 2021. AT&T's (NYSE: T) board of directors has appointed William Kennard to serve as chairman, effective January 2021, the company announced Friday. Kennard will succeed Randall Stephenson, currently AT&T's executive chairman of the board, who will retire at the beginning of 2021.
[22]
2021 Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement (PDF) (Report). AT&T. March 11, 2021. p. 15. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Richard W. Fisher will retire at the 2021 Annual Meeting and will not stand for re-election.
[23]
Trentmann, Nina (November 17, 2020). "Longtime AT&T Finance Chief John Stephens to Retire Next Spring". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2021. AT&T Inc. hired a company insider to succeed longtime finance chief John Stephens once he retires at the end of March, in the latest change of guard within the company's leadership over the past year. The Dallas-based telecommunications company Tuesday said Pascal Desroches would become chief financial officer April 1. Mr. Desroches is now CFO of AT&T's WarnerMedia division and previously worked in various finance roles at the entertainment company.

Edit Request: Corporate Governance (Updated)

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. As requested, I’m submitting an updated version of our Corporate Governance edit request now that one of the changes to the board is official. Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 02:10, 5 May 2021 (UTC)

Corporate governance

Recommend the following updates to bring the board of directors list current as of May 2021:

Remove Randall Stephenson as executive chairman due to his retirement as executive chairman on December 31, 2020.^[1] ^[2]

Please update William E. Kennard’s title to read “Chairman” (due to his election of November 9, 2020) and move up to beginning of order. ^[3]^[4]

Please remove Richard W. Fisher due to his retirement from the board.^[5]

Recommend updating the header of the current board of directors section to reflect that it is current as of May 2021.

Also recommend updating the header of the current management section to reflect that it is current as of April 2021, given the most recent round of edits on April 25, 2021.

References

[1]
Lee, Edmund (April 24, 2020). "AT&T Names John Stankey C.E.O. as Randall Stephenson Plans to Retire". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2021. Mr. Stephenson, 60, will stay on as executive chairman of the board through this year, the company said in a statement.
[2]
"Board of Directors". AT&T. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
[3]
Sybert, Sarah (November 9, 2020). "William Kennard to Become AT&T Board Chairman; Randall Stephenson Quoted". GovConWire. Retrieved April 22, 2021. AT&T's (NYSE: T) board of directors has appointed William Kennard to serve as chairman, effective January 2021, the company announced Friday. Kennard will succeed Randall Stephenson, currently AT&T's executive chairman of the board, who will retire at the beginning of 2021.
[4]
"Board of Directors". AT&T. Retrieved May 4, 2021. William E. Kennard, Independent Chairman of the Board
[5]
"Board of Directors". AT&T. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

@Jon Gray: Done mate. AntiVan (talk) 10:02, 15 May 2021 (UTC)

@AntiVan: Many thanks! Jon Gray (talk) 15:27, 17 May 2021 (UTC)

Edit Request: AT&T Latin America and Political Involvement

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined.

~~AT&T Latin America – Infobox~~

~~Recommend changing “Type” of business from “Division” to “Business Segment” to align with how the company is federally reported.^[1]~~

~~Recommend updating Revenue to read US$5.7 billion (2020)^[2] to reflect most recent figure available.~~

Total assets: Total assets currently listed ($403 billion) are for all of AT&T, not just AT&T Latin America. Recommend updating this figure to read $15.8 billion USD to accurately reflect AT&T Latin America’s most recent total assets figure.^[3]

~~Recommend updating Number of Employees to 32,500. The number currently on page reflects all of AT&T’s employees, not just those from the AT&T Latin America business segment.~~

~~----------~~

~~AT&T Latin America~~

~~In first sentence, recommend replacing “division” with “business segment” to align with how the company is federally reported.^[4]~~

Toward the end of first sentence, recommend updating number of other countries in which AT&T Latin America operates from 11 to 10 to accurately reflect current scope of operations after sale of the Venezuela operation. ^[5]

~~Recommend adding the following sentence after the current second sentence (In 2017, AT&T announced a new…) to add appointment of CEO Lori Lee into narrative (proposed addition in bold):~~

Lori Lee was appointed CEO of AT&T International in July 2017.^[6]

First and second full paragraphs (In October 2016, AT&T announced a deal to acquire Time Warner…Two days later, AT&T completed the acquisition of Time Warner, and a day later, the company was renamed WarnerMedia.). Recommend moving these two paragraphs to “Recent Developments (2014 – present)” section, as the content has no specific relevance to AT&T Latin America.

Recommend adding the following information in advance of the sentence that begins with (On September 21, 2018…) for additional historical developments of the business segment in 2018 (requested addition in bold):

In August 2018, Melissa Arnoldi was named CEO of AT&T’s Vrio subsidiary in Latin America, replacing Jeff McElfresh who assumed the leadership of AT&T’s Technology and Operations division.^[7]^[8]

Final sentence (In October 2019, AT&T Latin America announced its intention…): Recommend changing “AT&T Latin America” to “AT&T” to accurately reflect which business segment made the announcement.^[9]

Recommend adding the following information at the end of the existing article to provide more information on the aforementioned sale and the appointment of Monica Bernal as CEO of AT&T Mexico (proposed additions in bold):

The sale of Puerto Rico and Virgin Island operations to Liberty Latin America for $2 billion in cash closed on November 2, 2020.^[10] On April 1, 2020, Monica Aspe Bernal assumed the role of interim CEO of AT&T Mexico after serving for more than a year as Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communications.^[11] Bernal was named CEO in March 2021.^[12]

~~-------~~

~~Political Involvement~~

~~To bring the first sentence of this section current, recommend revising to the following (requested revisions in bold)”~~

~~According to the Center for Responsive Politics, AT&T was the forty seventh largest donor to United States federal political campaigns and committees in 2020.^[13]~~

~~Recommend adding the following lines to the first paragraph (following the sentence regarding AT&T’s donations to President George W. Bush). Suggested addition in bold:~~

AT&T was among 250 organizations and individuals that contributed more than $100,000 to the Trump inaugural, giving $2 million in cash contributions, as well as an $82,483 in-kind donation.^[14] ^[15] This contribution was less than the $3 million it donated for President Obama’s inauguration in 2013.^[16]

~~Suggest removing the third and fourth sentences from first paragraph as Leahy retired from AT&T in 2018^[17] and no longer on the ALEC board.^[18]~~

~~Propose revising the second sentence of the second paragraph to read as follows and more accurately represent the company’s position on broadband access. Suggested revision in bold:~~

A key focus area for AT&T has been reform of policies that make broadband more accessible and affordable.^[19]

~~Propose revising the third sentence of the second paragraph to read as follows and add additional example of the kind of broadband legislation supported by the company. Suggested revision in bold:~~

~~The company has supported several federal bills related to broadband policy reform, including the FCC’s implementation of the Broadband Data Act to create more accurate maps.^[20]~~

~~Propose adding the following lines as a new paragraph after the existing third paragraph. Suggested additions in bold:~~

Following AT&T’s $85 billion merger with Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) in June 2018, then-President Donald Trump called for a boycott of AT&T, citing CNN’s coverage of him, calling the network “fake news.”^[21]The Department of Justice sued to block the deal, but a federal judge ruled the merger was legal.^[22]

References

[1]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. We have three reportable segments: (1) Communications, (2) WarnerMedia and (3) Latin America. Our segment results presented in Note 4 and discussed below follow our internal management reporting. We analyze our segments based on segment operating contribution, which consists of operating income, excluding acquisition related costs and other significant items and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates for investments managed within each segment.
[2]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Operating Revenues (2020) – Latin America: $5,716,000,000
[3]
AT&T (February 25, 2021). FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT 2020 (Report). p. 84. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Assets (2020) – Latin America: $15,811,000,000{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
[4]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. We have three reportable segments: (1) Communications, (2) WarnerMedia and (3) Latin America. Our segment results presented in Note 4 and discussed below follow our internal management reporting. We analyze our segments based on segment operating contribution, which consists of operating income, excluding acquisition related costs and other significant items and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates for investments managed within each segment.
[5]
"The Path Forward: Bridging the Broadband Gap with AT&T CEO John Stankey". The Washington Post. December 4, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 10 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and wireless services to consumers and businesses in Mexico.
[6]
Gibbs, Colin (July 31, 2017). "John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition". Fierce Wireless. Retrieved June 15, 2021. John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition.
[7]
"Arnoldi named CEO of AT&T's Vrio with McElfresh taking over as 5G head". Telecompaper. August 24, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has confirmed that Melissa Arnoldi will move from president of technology and operations at AT&T Mobility to become CEO of the company's Latin American video unit Vrio.
[8]
"Jeff McElfresh takes over AT&T's 5G build-out". Fierce Wireless. August 23, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T confirmed that Jeff McElfresh will take over command of AT&T's Technology and Operations division. He takes over from Melissa Arnoldi, who will move over to head up AT&T's Vrio subsidiary in Latin America, which sells DirecTV services to South American countries.
[9]
"AT&T to sell Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands operations". RCR Wireless. October 9, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has agreed to sell its operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to regional telecom operator Liberty Latin America, lock, stock and barrel — or more properly in the case of telecom assets, spectrum, real estate/leases, and customers/contracts.
[10]
"AT&T Closes Sale of Puerto Rico, USVI Operations for $2B in Cash". Inside Towers. November 3, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T announced yesterday that it has completed the sale of its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ: LILA and LILAK).
[11]
"Monica Aspe Bernal is the new interim CEO of AT&T Mexico". El CEO. March 27, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Monica Aspe Bernal was appointed by AT&T as the new interim CEO of its Mexico operation, after just over one year of serving as Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communication.
[12]
"Monica Aspe confirmed as AT&T Mexico CEO". Telecompaper. March 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021. After occupying the position on an interim basis for almost a year, AT&T Mexico has now confirmed the appointment of Monica Aspe Bernal as its CEO.
[13]
"AT&T Inc". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Cycle: 2020. Contributions: Ranks 47 of 21,691
[14]
Balcerzak, Ashley (April 19, 2021). "250 donors shelled out $100k or more for Trump's inauguration, providing 91% of funds". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved June 21, 2021. At least 47 people or organizations gave $1 million or more to the Trump welcome wagon, and more than 250 gave $100,000 and above; those 250 provided 91 percent of the inaugural committee's funds. Obama had 82 six-figure donors in 2013, and four that hit $1 million.
[15]
Neidig, Harper (April 19, 2017). "AT&T gave $2M to Trump's inaugural committee". The Hill. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T was among the largest contributors to President Trump's inaugural committee, accounting for more than $2 million of the record-breaking $106.7 million haul. The telecom behemoth gave $2 million in cash contributions, as well as an $82,483 in-kind donation for "mobile equipment/software."
[16]
Neidig, Harper (April 19, 2017). "AT&T gave $2M to Trump's inaugural committee". The Hill. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Though the contribution exceeds those of AT&T's rivals, it still falls short of the $3 million it gave for President Obama's 2013 inauguration.
[17]
Liu, Jackson (November 16, 2018). "AT&T North Carolina president becomes the new top exec for Georgia". WRAL Tech Wire. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T Inc. announced Thursday that North Carolina President Venessa Harrison will become the state president for Georgia, succeeding William Leahy who recently retired.
[18]
"Board of Directors". American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
[19]
Levine, Alexandra (March 1, 2021). "Will the latest broadband victory outlast the pandemic?". Politico. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Major telecom players are cheering the FCC's bipartisan vote to swiftly advance the $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which will help subsidize internet service for households affected by Covid. (The full text of the order was released on Friday.) Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has stressed how the program will be key for those households to access virtual learning, telehealth services and job resources. AT&T praised the step to "help close the broadband gap," while Comcast and Charter announced their intent to participate in the effort.
[20]
Engebretson, Joan (December 3, 2020). "AT&T Broadband Policy Goals Include Modernizing USF, Three More". Telecompetitor. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Congress should act to directly fund the Universal Service Fund program, said Jeff McElfresh, CEO of AT&T Communications, at an industry event today. Modernizing USF was one of four AT&T broadband policy recommendations that McElfresh outlined…The other AT&T broadband policy recommendations that McElfresh outlined were: 3. Obtain accurate broadband availability data. It's widely recognized that government broadband availability data is flawed because it considers an entire census block to have service available to it, even if only a single location in the block can get service. Congress passed the Broadband Data Act to address this but has not voted to provide funding to implement the act.
[21]
Calia, Mike (June 3, 2019). "Trump calls for a boycott of AT&T to force 'big changes' at CNN – 'It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!'". CNBC. Retrieved June 21, 2021. President Donald Trump on Monday called for a boycott of AT&T to force 'big changes' at subsidiary CNN, which Trump often accuses of biased and negative coverage of his administration. 'I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!' the president tweeted from the U.K., just as he began a state visit, misspelling 'stopped.'
[22]
Palazzolo, Joe (June 12, 2018). "Decoding Judge Leon's AT&T-Time Warner Decision". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Judge Richard J. Leon, in his 172-page opinion Tuesday, allowed AT&T Inc.'s proposed merger with Time Warner Inc., to go through, over objections by the U.S. Justice Department that the deal, if consummated, would have anticompetitive effects and violate the antitrust laws.

Not done: The edits are way too bulky to implement. Quetstar (talk) 17:36, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

Edit Request: Political Involvement

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. Below, I’ve outlined requested edits to the AT&T Political Involvement section to account for corrections and updates. (I am resubmitting this section’s requested edits by themselves, as opposed to paired with the Latin America section per the previous editor’s response that both together were too numerous.) Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 17:04, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

Political Involvement

To bring the first sentence of this section current, recommend revising to the following (requested revisions in bold)”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, AT&T was the forty seventh largest donor to United States federal political campaigns and committees in 2020.^[1]

Recommend adding the following lines to the first paragraph (following the sentence regarding AT&T’s donations to President George W. Bush). Suggested addition in bold:

AT&T was among 250 organizations and individuals that contributed more than $100,000 to the Trump inaugural, giving $2 million in cash contributions, as well as an $82,483 in-kind donation.^[2] ^[3] This contribution was less than the $3 million it donated for President Obama’s inauguration in 2013.^[4]

Suggest removing the third and fourth sentences from first paragraph as Leahy retired from AT&T in 2018^[5] and no longer on the ALEC board.^[6]

Propose revising the second sentence of the second paragraph to read as follows and more accurately represent the company’s position on broadband access. Suggested revision in bold:

A key focus area for AT&T has been reform of policies that make broadband more accessible and affordable.^[7]

Propose revising the third sentence of the second paragraph to read as follows and add additional example of the kind of broadband legislation supported by the company. Suggested revision in bold:

The company has supported several federal bills related to broadband policy reform, including the FCC’s implementation of the Broadband Data Act to create more accurate maps.^[8]

Propose adding the following lines as a new paragraph after the existing third paragraph. Suggested additions in bold:

Following AT&T’s $85 billion merger with Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) in June 2018, then-President Donald Trump called for a boycott of AT&T, citing CNN’s coverage of him, calling the network “fake news.”^[9]The Department of Justice sued to block the deal, but a federal judge ruled the merger was legal.^[10]

References

[1]
"AT&T Inc". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Cycle: 2020. Contributions: Ranks 47 of 21,691
[2]
Balcerzak, Ashley (April 19, 2021). "250 donors shelled out $100k or more for Trump's inauguration, providing 91% of funds". Center for Responsive Politics. Retrieved June 21, 2021. At least 47 people or organizations gave $1 million or more to the Trump welcome wagon, and more than 250 gave $100,000 and above; those 250 provided 91 percent of the inaugural committee's funds. Obama had 82 six-figure donors in 2013, and four that hit $1 million.
[3]
Neidig, Harper (April 19, 2017). "AT&T gave $2M to Trump's inaugural committee". The Hill. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T was among the largest contributors to President Trump's inaugural committee, accounting for more than $2 million of the record-breaking $106.7 million haul. The telecom behemoth gave $2 million in cash contributions, as well as an $82,483 in-kind donation for "mobile equipment/software."
[4]
Neidig, Harper (April 19, 2017). "AT&T gave $2M to Trump's inaugural committee". The Hill. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Though the contribution exceeds those of AT&T's rivals, it still falls short of the $3 million it gave for President Obama's 2013 inauguration.
[5]
Liu, Jackson (November 16, 2018). "AT&T North Carolina president becomes the new top exec for Georgia". WRAL Tech Wire. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T Inc. announced Thursday that North Carolina President Venessa Harrison will become the state president for Georgia, succeeding William Leahy who recently retired.
[6]
"Board of Directors". American Legislative Exchange Council. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
[7]
Levine, Alexandra (March 1, 2021). "Will the latest broadband victory outlast the pandemic?". Politico. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Major telecom players are cheering the FCC's bipartisan vote to swiftly advance the $3.2 billion Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which will help subsidize internet service for households affected by Covid. (The full text of the order was released on Friday.) Acting FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel has stressed how the program will be key for those households to access virtual learning, telehealth services and job resources. AT&T praised the step to "help close the broadband gap," while Comcast and Charter announced their intent to participate in the effort.
[8]
Engebretson, Joan (December 3, 2020). "AT&T Broadband Policy Goals Include Modernizing USF, Three More". Telecompetitor. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Congress should act to directly fund the Universal Service Fund program, said Jeff McElfresh, CEO of AT&T Communications, at an industry event today. Modernizing USF was one of four AT&T broadband policy recommendations that McElfresh outlined…The other AT&T broadband policy recommendations that McElfresh outlined were: 3. Obtain accurate broadband availability data. It's widely recognized that government broadband availability data is flawed because it considers an entire census block to have service available to it, even if only a single location in the block can get service. Congress passed the Broadband Data Act to address this but has not voted to provide funding to implement the act.
[9]
Calia, Mike (June 3, 2019). "Trump calls for a boycott of AT&T to force 'big changes' at CNN – 'It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!'". CNBC. Retrieved June 21, 2021. President Donald Trump on Monday called for a boycott of AT&T to force 'big changes' at subsidiary CNN, which Trump often accuses of biased and negative coverage of his administration. 'I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!' the president tweeted from the U.K., just as he began a state visit, misspelling 'stopped.'
[10]
Palazzolo, Joe (June 12, 2018). "Decoding Judge Leon's AT&T-Time Warner Decision". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2021. Judge Richard J. Leon, in his 172-page opinion Tuesday, allowed AT&T Inc.'s proposed merger with Time Warner Inc., to go through, over objections by the U.S. Justice Department that the deal, if consummated, would have anticompetitive effects and violate the antitrust laws.

Not done: These edits read like they are from PR playbook of AT&T. Muddling relevant facts, trying to reduce perceived impact of conservative donations, statements like "A key focus area for AT&T has been reform of policies that make broadband more accessible and affordable" that could never fly. Please read: WP:NPOV, WP:DUE, WP:ORIGINALSYNTHESIS and WP:BALANCE. Melmann 19:54, 24 June 2021 (UTC)

Edit Request: AT&T Latin America

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. Below, I’ve outlined requested edits to the AT&T Latin America and Political Involvement sections to account for corrections and updates. (I am resubmitting this section’s requested edits by themselves, as opposed to paired with the Political Involvement section per the previous editor’s response that both together were too numerous.) Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 13:30, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

AT&T Latin America – Infobox

Recommend changing “Type” of business from “Division” to “Business Segment” to align with how the company is federally reported.^[1]

Recommend updating Revenue to read US$5.7 billion (2020)^[2] to reflect most recent figure available.

Total assets: Total assets currently listed ($403 billion) are for all of AT&T, not just AT&T Latin America. Recommend updating this figure to read $15.8 billion USD to accurately reflect AT&T Latin America’s most recent total assets figure.^[3]

Recommend updating Number of Employees to 32,500. The number currently on page reflects all of AT&T’s employees, not just those from the AT&T Latin America business segment.

AT&T Latin America

In first sentence, recommend replacing “division” with “business segment” to align with how the company is federally reported.^[4]

Toward the end of first sentence, recommend updating number of other countries in which AT&T Latin America operates from 11 to 10 to accurately reflect current scope of operations after sale of the Venezuela operation. ^[5]

Recommend adding the following sentence after the current second sentence (In 2017, AT&T announced a new…) to add appointment of CEO Lori Lee into narrative (proposed addition in bold):

Lori Lee was appointed CEO of AT&T International in July 2017.^[6]

First and second full paragraphs (In October 2016, AT&T announced a deal to acquire Time Warner…Two days later, AT&T completed the acquisition of Time Warner, and a day later, the company was renamed WarnerMedia.). Recommend moving these two paragraphs to “Recent Developments (2014 – present)” section, as the content has no specific relevance to AT&T Latin America.

Recommend adding the following information in advance of the sentence that begins with (On September 21, 2018…) for additional historical developments of the business segment in 2018 (requested addition in bold):

Final sentence (In October 2019, AT&T Latin America announced its intention…): Recommend changing “AT&T Latin America” to “AT&T” to accurately reflect which business segment made the announcement.^[9]

Recommend adding the following information at the end of the existing article to provide more information on the aforementioned sale and the appointment of Monica Bernal as CEO of AT&T Mexico (proposed additions in bold):

References

[1]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. We have three reportable segments: (1) Communications, (2) WarnerMedia and (3) Latin America. Our segment results presented in Note 4 and discussed below follow our internal management reporting. We analyze our segments based on segment operating contribution, which consists of operating income, excluding acquisition related costs and other significant items and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates for investments managed within each segment.
[2]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Operating Revenues (2020) – Latin America: $5,716,000,000
[3]
AT&T (February 25, 2021). FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT 2020 (Report). p. 84. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Assets (2020) – Latin America: $15,811,000,000{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
[4]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. We have three reportable segments: (1) Communications, (2) WarnerMedia and (3) Latin America. Our segment results presented in Note 4 and discussed below follow our internal management reporting. We analyze our segments based on segment operating contribution, which consists of operating income, excluding acquisition related costs and other significant items and equity in net income (loss) of affiliates for investments managed within each segment.
[5]
"The Path Forward: Bridging the Broadband Gap with AT&T CEO John Stankey". The Washington Post. December 4, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 10 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and wireless services to consumers and businesses in Mexico.
[6]
Gibbs, Colin (July 31, 2017). "John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition". Fierce Wireless. Retrieved June 15, 2021. John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition.
[7]
"Arnoldi named CEO of AT&T's Vrio with McElfresh taking over as 5G head". Telecompaper. August 24, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has confirmed that Melissa Arnoldi will move from president of technology and operations at AT&T Mobility to become CEO of the company's Latin American video unit Vrio.
[8]
"Jeff McElfresh takes over AT&T's 5G build-out". Fierce Wireless. August 23, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T confirmed that Jeff McElfresh will take over command of AT&T's Technology and Operations division. He takes over from Melissa Arnoldi, who will move over to head up AT&T's Vrio subsidiary in Latin America, which sells DirecTV services to South American countries.
[9]
"AT&T to sell Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands operations". RCR Wireless. October 9, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has agreed to sell its operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to regional telecom operator Liberty Latin America, lock, stock and barrel — or more properly in the case of telecom assets, spectrum, real estate/leases, and customers/contracts.
[10]
"AT&T Closes Sale of Puerto Rico, USVI Operations for $2B in Cash". Inside Towers. November 3, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T announced yesterday that it has completed the sale of its wireless and wireline operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to Liberty Latin America (NASDAQ: LILA and LILAK).
[11]
"Monica Aspe Bernal is the new interim CEO of AT&T Mexico". El CEO. March 27, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Monica Aspe Bernal was appointed by AT&T as the new interim CEO of its Mexico operation, after just over one year of serving as Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Communication.
[12]
"Monica Aspe confirmed as AT&T Mexico CEO". Telecompaper. March 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021. After occupying the position on an interim basis for almost a year, AT&T Mexico has now confirmed the appointment of Monica Aspe Bernal as its CEO.

Not done: Same reason as last time. Quetstar (talk) 21:09, 29 June 2021 (UTC)

@Quetstar: Hello - I’m confused by your rationale as I’ve submitted other edit requests that were lengthier or similar in scope to this one, and they’ve been addressed. Completely understand if you’d prefer not to take this request on, but would you mind changing the response parameter so it can reappear in the queue in case another editor is willing to review based on the merits of the content and sourcing? Or, if there’s an ideal number of edits that should be requested at one time, please let me know. Thanks for your consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 16:24, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

By "last time", I meant the same reasons as Melmann's Quetstar (talk) 16:33, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

@Quetstar: Thanks for clarifying. I'll give this another look, retain the elements that only deal in objective fact (such as current revenue figures, corrections, hires) and resubmit to the queue for consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 17:53, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

(Updated) Edit Request: AT&T Latin America

Part of an edit requested by an editor with a conflict of interest has been implemented. [see below]

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. I have revised our original edit request per feedback from the previous editor and seek updates to reflect correct/recent figures, two updates in the business’s history and the possible shift of some information to a different section in the article where it is more relevant. As always, appreciate your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 14:02, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

AT&T Latin America – Infobox

Recommend updating Revenue to read US$5.7 billion (2020)^[1] to reflect most recent figure available.

Total assets: Total assets currently listed ($403 billion) are for all of AT&T, not just AT&T Latin America. Recommend updating this figure to read $15.8 billion USD to accurately reflect AT&T Latin America’s most recent total assets figure.^[2]

Recommend updating Number of Employees to 32,500. The number currently on page reflects all of AT&T’s employees, not just those from the AT&T Latin America business segment.

AT&T Latin America

Toward the end of first sentence, recommend updating number of other countries in which AT&T Latin America operates from 11 to 10 to accurately reflect current scope of operations after the company ended operations in Venezuela. ^[3]

Recommend adding the following sentence after the current second sentence (In 2017, AT&T announced a new…) to add appointment of CEO Lori Lee (proposed addition in bold):

Lori Lee was appointed CEO of AT&T International in July 2017.^[4]

First and second full paragraphs (In October 2016, AT&T announced a deal to acquire Time Warner…Two days later, AT&T completed the acquisition of Time Warner, and a day later, the company was renamed WarnerMedia.). Recommend moving these two paragraphs to “Recent Developments (2014 – present)” section, as the content has no specific relevance to AT&T Latin America.

Recommend adding the following information in advance of the sentence that begins with (On September 21, 2018…) for additional information regarding company’s history in 2018 (requested addition in bold):

In August 2018, Melissa Arnoldi was named CEO of AT&T’s Vrio subsidiary in Latin America.^[5]^[6]

Final sentence (In October 2019, AT&T Latin America announced its intention…): Recommend changing “AT&T Latin America” to “AT&T” to accurately reflect which company made the announcement.^[7]

I implemented the edit request with respect to the infobox and requested change to the first sentence only; apologies, the other changes are a bit more involved than I have time for at the moment. Note that I looked through someone of the proposed changes and I'm not sure how WP:DUE the news items are per WP:NOTNEWS, but I'll let another editor examine those. (Actually, a lot of this article should probably be cleaned up with WP:NOTNEWS in mind.)

Note that I added the number of employees to override information being imported from Wikidata, but a citation for this figure would be nice.

I'm leaving this edit request open for other editors to look at. Aoi (青い) (talk) 22:28, 1 July 2021 (UTC)

References

[1]
AT&T INC. FINANCIAL REVIEW 2020 (PDF) (Report). AT&T. p. 15. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Operating Revenues (2020) – Latin America: $5,716,000,000
[2]
AT&T (February 25, 2021). FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT 2020 (Report). p. 84. Retrieved June 15, 2021. Assets (2020) – Latin America: $15,811,000,000{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
[3]
"The Path Forward: Bridging the Broadband Gap with AT&T CEO John Stankey". The Washington Post. December 4, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021. AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 10 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean and wireless services to consumers and businesses in Mexico.
[4]
Gibbs, Colin (July 31, 2017). "John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition". Fierce Wireless. Retrieved June 15, 2021. John Donovan officially named CEO of AT&T Communications ahead of Time Warner acquisition.
[5]
"Arnoldi named CEO of AT&T's Vrio with McElfresh taking over as 5G head". Telecompaper. August 24, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has confirmed that Melissa Arnoldi will move from president of technology and operations at AT&T Mobility to become CEO of the company's Latin American video unit Vrio.
[6]
"Jeff McElfresh takes over AT&T's 5G build-out". Fierce Wireless. August 23, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T confirmed that Jeff McElfresh will take over command of AT&T's Technology and Operations division. He takes over from Melissa Arnoldi, who will move over to head up AT&T's Vrio subsidiary in Latin America, which sells DirecTV services to South American countries.
[7]
"AT&T to sell Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands operations". RCR Wireless. October 9, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021. AT&T has agreed to sell its operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to regional telecom operator Liberty Latin America, lock, stock and barrel — or more properly in the case of telecom assets, spectrum, real estate/leases, and customers/contracts.

I oppose much of this on WP:DIRECTORY grounds (except infobox changes already implemented). If the CEO is in the infobox, why do we need to re-state it in prose? Things such as CEO of yet another subsidiary is not notable. If anything we need to trim some of the WP:RECENTISM, not add more.
I'm not gonna close this request, but I do feel implementing further COI requests without a good cleanup would harm the article. Melmann 17:12, 4 July 2021 (UTC)

I deleted about 9,500 characters of material from the history and AT&T Latin America portions of the article per WP:RECENTISM, but there's definitely other parts of the prose that could be pared back and cleaned up. As for the remaining parts of the edit request, I added the requested sentence about the AT&T Latin America CEO and edited the final sentence of the AT&T Latin America section per the request, but declined to implement the remaining portions of the edit request. I agree with Melmann that it's not necessary (and not desirable) to list the appointment date of every single executive; in this case, this isn't just an AT&T subsidiary but a subsidiary of a subsidiary. That information could probably be added to Vrio Corp., if anywhere. The stuff about the Time Warner acquisition was largely redundant with material already in the history section so I just deleted the material instead of moving it. Aoi (青い) (talk) 00:37, 9 July 2021 (UTC)

Edit Request: Venues & Sponsorships

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. Below, I’ve outlined requested edits to the Venues and Sponsorships sections to account for accuracy given changes that have occurred. Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 20:48, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

Venues

Remove “AT&T Plaza – Dallas, Texas” from the list as PNC purchased naming rights for this plaza in 2020.^[1]

Remove “TPC San Antonio – San Antonio, Texas (AT&T Oaks Course & AT&T Canyons Course)” as that sponsorship concluded in 2019 and neither course retained AT&T as part of their names.^[2]^[3]

Remove “War Memorial Stadium, AT&T Field – Little Rock, Arkansas” as AT&T’s naming rights expired in 2015 and were not renewed.^[4]

Sponsorships

Suggest removing the following from the list (sourcing for validation included):

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic – the naming rights agreement ended in 2014.^[5]

AT&T National – AT&T sponsored The National between 2007 – 2013, with Quicken Loans taking over naming rights from 2014 – 2018. See The National.

United States Olympic team – sponsorship deal with AT&T ended in 2016.^[6]

AT&T American Cup (gymnastics) – sponsorship was suspended and ended in 2018.^[7]

Suggest updating the following:

AT&T Red River Rivalry is now known as the AT&T Red River Showdown. Suggest updating listing on this page for accuracy.^[8]

Suggest adding the following:

100 Thieves (esports)^[9]
Chicago Bulls^[10]
College Football Playoff National Championship ^[11]
Dallas Stars^[12]
Houston Rockets^[13]
National Basketball Association^[14], Women’s National Basketball Association^[15], NBA G League^[16], USA Basketball^[17] and NBA 2K League^[18](basketball, esports)

References

[1]
Arnold, Kyle (December 1, 2020). "PNC Bank buys naming rights to plaza outside Dallas' American Airlines Center". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 18, 2021. PNC Bank is putting its name outside of Dallas' American Airlines Center as part of a deal to add another corporate sponsor to the sports and event district...PNC will be the third name on the plaza. AT&T was the original naming rights partner and it reverted to Victory Plaza once AT&T's deal expired in April 2017.
[2]
"OAKS COURSE". Tournament Players Club. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
[3]
"CANYONS COURSE". Tournament Players Club. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
[4]
Lesnick, Gavin (June 23, 2010). "AT&T buys naming rights for War Memorial field". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved August 18, 2021. The playing surface at War Memorial Stadium has been named AT&T Field as part of a sponsorship agreement with the corporation, officials announced Wednesday. The agreement, which marks the first time the field has been separately named, lasts for at least five years.
[5]
McMurphy, Brett (October 15, 2014). "Sources: Cotton Bowl loses AT&T". ESPN. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T no longer will be the naming rights sponsor for the Cotton Bowl, industry sources told ESPN.com on Wednesday. AT&T had been the Cotton Bowl's naming rights sponsor since 2007.
[6]
Connelly, Tony (December 8, 2016). "Comcast partners with US Olympic Committee as AT&T ends three decade long sponsorship". TheDrum.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021. Comcast Corporation has replaced AT&T as the US Olympic Committee's communications partner in a multi-year deal spanning the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
[7]
Axon, Rachel (January 23, 2018). "AT&T suspends USA Gymnastics sponsorship, cites sexual abuse scandal". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T has suspended its sponsorship of USA Gymnastics in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal, the company announced on Tuesday. AT&T joins Procter & Gamble, Hershey's and Under Armour as sponsors that have left the beleaguered national governing body since December.
[8]
"AT&T RED RIVER SHOWDOWN". Learfield IMG College. Retrieved August 18, 2021. The AT&T Red River Showdown is traditionally a sell-out year after year, and played on the first or second Saturday in October.
[9]
Nicholson, Jonno (January 14, 2021). "100 Thieves unveils AT&T as 5G and Fibre Innovations sponsor". Esportsinsider.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021. North American esports organisation 100 Thieves has joined forces with American multinational conglomerate AT&T. The multi-year deal will see AT&T become 100 Thieves' official 5G and fibre innovations sponsor.
[10]
"AT&T Sponsorship Brand Profile". Sportcal.com. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T's involvement in the sport is completed by its title sponsorship of the home of NBA franchise San Antonio Spurs (reported annual fee of $2.05 million), and sponsorships of fellow franchises the Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls, estimated to be worth $1 million each.
[11]
DFW, SportsDay (January 8, 2015). "Sponsorship? AT&T says hello to college football championship". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 18, 2021. Now the company is doubling up with Monday;s College Football Playoff National Championship. Broadcasters will inform viewers that the game is played at AT&T Stadium and presented by AT&T.
[12]
DeFranks, Matthew (January 4, 2021). "Young forwards provide intrigue to Stars roster lacking ambiguity". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 18, 2021. The Stars will have AT&T logos on their home and road helmets, according to a team spokesperson.
[13]
"AT&T Sponsorship Brand Profile". Sportcal.com. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T's involvement in the sport is completed by its title sponsorship of the home of NBA franchise San Antonio Spurs (reported annual fee of $2.05 million), and sponsorships of fellow franchises the Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls, estimated to be worth $1 million each.
[14]
Sweeney, Erica (February 6, 2019). "NBA names AT&T as official sponsor to create tech-focused fan experiences". MarketingDive. Retrieved August 18, 2021. The NBA struck a deal with AT&T to be the league's official wireless sponsor, according to an AT&T news post. The multiyear partnership will create new experiences for fans across the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.
[15]
"WNBA 2021 commercial guide: Every franchise, every sponsor, all the major TV deals". SportsPro. May 19, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T: The US telecommunications giant signed with the WNBA in April 2019 to become the first non-apparel partner to have its logo featured on all team jerseys.
[16]
Bassam, Tom (February 6, 2019). "NBA dials in AT&T to replace Verizon in major sponsorship slot". SportsPro. Retrieved August 18, 2021. US media giant AT&T has become the National Basketball Association's (NBA) new official wireless telecommunications partner, taking over from longtime rival Verizon. The multiyear marketing deal is designed to create enhanced technological engagement across the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.
[17]
Bassam, Tom (February 6, 2019). "NBA dials in AT&T to replace Verizon in major sponsorship slot". SportsPro. Retrieved August 18, 2021. US media giant AT&T has become the National Basketball Association's (NBA) new official wireless telecommunications partner, taking over from longtime rival Verizon. The multiyear marketing deal is designed to create enhanced technological engagement across the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.
[18]
Lefton, Terry (February 5, 2019). "AT&T replacing Verizon as official NBA wireless sponsor". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2021. AT&T is replacing Verizon as the NBA's lead sponsor in wireless telecom, one of the biggest-spending marketing categories both inside and outside of sports. The multiyear deal includes marketing rights across the NBA, USA Basketball, WNBA, G League and the NBA 2K League.

Done RFZYNSPY ^talk 04:55, 15 September 2021 (UTC)

Removal of referenced content

Edit Request

Edit Request – Lead Section Corrections

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

NOTE: I’m proposing the following edits for FleishmanHillard on behalf of AT&T. I am a paid editor and aware of the COI guidelines. A few pieces of information in the lead section are now outdated, so I’m proposing the following edits for accuracy. Please let me know of any questions or comments as you review. Thanks for your time and consideration. Jon Gray (talk) 21:31, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

Done. Note: I didn't use the alltopeverything.com citation for the world's largest telco by revenue addition. I've instead linked to List of largest companies by revenue article page, where one can see that is the case (and it carries a citation there). See Ptrnext (talk) 03:55, 3 August 2022 (UTC)

Thank you! Jon Gray (talk) 13:10, 3 August 2022 (UTC)

---

Lead Section

Second sentence: Propose adding clarity that “world’s largest telecommunications company” is a measure by revenue.^[1] Also, AT&T is no longer the world’s largest provider of mobile telephone services in the U.S. – the company is now third.^[2]^[3]With proposed revisions, the second sentence would read as follows:

It is the world’s largest telecommunications company by revenue^[4] and the 3rd largest provider of mobile telephone services in the U.S.^[5]^[6]

Third sentence: AT&T’s ranking on the Fortune 500 dropped from 9th (2020) to 13th, and revenue numbers have decreased as well. To reflect accurate info, propose changing the third sentence to read as follows:

As of 2022, AT&T was ranked 13th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations, with revenues of $168.8 billion.^[7]

References

[1]
"Top 10 Largest Telecommunications Companies in the World". alltopeverything.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. TOP 10 LARGEST TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD: 1. AT&T. Revenue $168.9 billion
[2]
Blumenthal, Eli (August 6, 2020). "T-Mobile leapfrogs AT&T, saying it's 2nd largest US carrier after Sprint merger". CNET. Retrieved August 1, 2022. It's been a busy year for T-Mobile, but the carrier continues to see subscriber growth and says it has now moved past AT&T to become the nation's second-largest wireless carrier despite the coronavirus pandemic... Combining the additional postpaid subscribers with the addition of Sprint's customer base gives T-Mobile a total of 98.3 million subscribers, which it says pushes it past AT&T when it comes to total postpaid and prepaid users, though the company is still behind Verizon.
[3]
Financial and Operational Schedules & Non-GAAP Reconciliations (PDF) (Report). AT&T. July 21, 2022. p. 7. Retrieved August 2, 2022. Subscribers and connections – Postpaid: 82,694,000; Prepaid 19,095,000
[4]
"Top 10 Largest Telecommunications Companies in the World". alltopeverything.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. TOP 10 LARGEST TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES IN THE WORLD: 1. AT&T. Revenue $168.9 billion
[5]
Blumenthal, Eli (August 6, 2020). "T-Mobile leapfrogs AT&T, saying it's 2nd largest US carrier after Sprint merger". CNET. Retrieved August 1, 2022. It's been a busy year for T-Mobile, but the carrier continues to see subscriber growth and says it has now moved past AT&T to become the nation's second-largest wireless carrier despite the coronavirus pandemic... Combining the additional postpaid subscribers with the addition of Sprint's customer base gives T-Mobile a total of 98.3 million subscribers, which it says pushes it past AT&T when it comes to total postpaid and prepaid users, though the company is still behind Verizon.
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"Fortune 500 – AT&T. Rank 13". Fortune. October 6, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2022. Fortune 500 – AT&T. Rank 13; Key Financials (Last Fiscal Year) – Revenues: $168,864 ($ millions)

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