By Solange Reyner; Newsmax ~  Aug 09, 2020

AMC Networks has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission alleging AT&T is abusing its market power as a result of the AT&T-Time Warner merger and favoring its own networks like HBO and TNT.

AMC appears to be complaining that AT&T is seeking to limit AMC’s ability to make content available on several digital platforms, including Hulu and Amazon Prime.

“AT&T has made it extremely clear recently that, far from reducing its networks’ budgets, it is substantially increasing them, so that they can compete fully in the ongoing war for content,” the redacted complaint reads. “In 2019 alone, AT&T spent a whopping $14.2 billion on original content, and HBO ‘expanded its production of original content by 50%, to 150 hours,’ to the tune of ‘about $1.5 billion.'”

In the complaint, filed Wednesday, AMC asks for a standstill order which would require AT&T to continue to carry AMC’s networks at current terms and rates while its complaint is resolved.

AT&T is planning to shut down its 3G network and even some customers who own older 4G-compatible devices could end up being affected by the change.

By Kyle Encina; Screen Rant ~ Jul 26, 2020

AT&T is phasing out its 3G network with the move designed to allow the company to focus on 4G LTE and 5G. As a result, a large number of older smartphone models will no longer be compatible with the service. With AT&T already having launched its 5G network nationwide, it’s only natural for 3G to no longer have a place in the company’s future plans.

It’s quit inevitable for AT&T to eventually phase out its 3G networks, considering how it did the same thing for its predecessor 2G back in 2017. Of course, that doesn’t mean AT&T won’t be giving its customers enough time to brace themselves before the change takes place, as it will take some time before the end date is reached. Right now, the telecommunications giant is merely laying the groundwork for its future plans of implementing next-generation network standards, as are the other major carriers who are continuing with their own 5G rollout.

Via “News Wire Feed”; Light Reading ~  Jul 23, 2020

DALLAS – AT&T’s 5G network is live for consumers and businesses across the country as of today, built on the nation’s best and also fastest wireless network.

“Just as our lives have shifted in the past few months, so has our expectation of wireless technology,” said Jeff McElfresh, CEO of AT&T Communications. “With AT&T 5G reaching nationwide, our network is beginning the journey to transform connectivity as we know it by setting a new bar of breathtaking experiences and improved efficiency. Businesses, developers and consumers are already tapping into 5G’s potential and we’re thrilled for customers across the U.S. to experience it for themselves. It’s an exciting time in technology.”

We’ve built AT&T 5G with our customers in mind, because they are more connected today than ever before. 5G will make the things we do today better and ultimately improve those experiences overall. And now that our 5G signal reaches customers nationwide, there are immediate benefits they can enjoy right away, including:

Via “News Wire Feed”; Light Reading ~  Jul 23, 2020

DALLAS – AT&T reported second-quarter results that continue to underscore the financial strength and ample liquidity of the business even with current economic conditions.

Highlights:

Mobility:

• Service revenues down 1.1% due to decline in international roaming; equipment revenues up year over year.

• Postpaid phone churn of 0.84%, a 2-basis point improvement year over year and postpaid phone net losses of 151,000 (Note: these include 338,000 accrued disconnects for which the company continues to provide service for Keep America Connected programs)

• Total phones stable (both postpaid and prepaid)

Via “Analysts; Investors Observer ~ Jul 14, 2020

AT&T Inc. (T) is around the middle of the Telecom Services industry according to Investors Observer. T received an overall rating of 40, which means that it scores higher than 40 percent of all stocks. AT&T Inc. also achieved a score of 51 in the Telecom Services industry, putting it above 51 percent of Telecom Services stocks. Telecom Services is ranked 81 out of the 148 industries.

industries.

By Andy Peters & Rodney Ho; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ~ Jun 29, 2020

The landmark CNN Center building in downtown Atlanta may soon have a new owner, though CNN employees will remain there for at least a few more years.

AT&T, which owns CNN as a result of its 2018 acquisition of Time Warner, has either already agreed to sell or plans to sell the CNN Center, according to an internal company memo sent on Monday. WarnerMedia, the subsidiary of AT&T that operates CNN, will lease back the building from its new owners for at least five years.

CNN employees won’t be affected immediately. But long-range plans call for many if not most CNN employees to move from downtown to recently renovated buildings near Georgia Tech that already house TNT, Cartoon Network and other WarnerMedia networks. WarnerMedia has a total of about 6,000 employees in Atlanta.

By Dom DiFurio; Dallas Morning News ~ Jun 19, 2020

AT&T’s cost-cutting measures revealed earlier this week may just be the tip of the iceberg as an increasing number of forces pressure the company to accelerate transformation, analysts say.

The Dallas-based telecom giant will cut 3,400 clerical and technician jobs over the next several weeks and close 250 company-branded and Cricket Wireless stores affecting an additional 1,300 retail jobs, according to the Communication Workers of America union that represents about 100,000 AT&T employees.

The technician layoffs and retail jobs are all CWA-represented positions, according to the union.

AT&T executives described the company’s plan to pare down stores and cleave $6 billion from its operations in meetings this week with investors. The company won’t have “as many stores as we did before COVID,” AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh told investors Tuesday. Two days later, CFO John Stephens reiterated AT&T’s commitment to reduce spending.

By Iain Morris; Light Reading ~  Jun 17, 2020

AT&T is to cut more than 3,400 technical and administrative jobs and permanently close about 250 shops employing 1,300 people, according to a trade union, piling further misery onto a US telecom workforce that has already witnessed thousands of job cuts in the last few years.

The US operator’s plans were apparently disclosed to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which slammed the move in a public statement and said the layoffs would add to the “pain of the recession already underway.”

AT&T subsequently confirmed to Light Reading there would “targeted but sizeable reductions” across the workforce as part of cost-cutting activities.

By Chris Lange; 24/7 Wall St. ~ Jun 08, 2020

Although not back to full strength yet, AT&T (NYSE: T) has been making solid gains since the HBO Max launch. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed AT&T stock to lows not seen for more than half a decade. As AT&T continues to recover and build out its new streaming service, the picture looks very bright.

AT&T has always ranked high on Wall Street’s list of dividend aristocrats, and the dip in price only seemed to give more credence to the dividend. Further, AT&T’s restructuring of its debt has given the company ample growth opportunities and an added cash padding should anything go wrong.

By Mike Dano; Light Reading ~  May 28, 2020

AT&T’s Igal Elbaz, SVP of the company’s wireless technology operations, said that the operator today covers roughly 880,000 customer locations with its LTE fixed wireless technology. And he said AT&T expects to reach its previously announced goal of 1.1 million locations by the end of this year.

“We know that fixed wireless works,” Elbaz said Thursday at an investor conference.

AT&T first disclosed its fixed wireless plans in 2017. The effort stems from AT&T’s participation in the FCC’s Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF-II) program. AT&T, Verizon and eight other telecom operators accepted a total of $1.5 billion in funding in 2015 with promises to build out Internet services in rural areas. AT&T is using LTE fixed wireless technology to meet its CAF II obligations.

Importantly, Frontier and CenturyLink warned earlier this year that they will not be able to meet all of their CAF II deployment targets.