Talk:AT&T Corporation

ImagiNation Network

you might also want to add something about the ImagiNation Network att owned it from 1994 till 96 when they sold it to AOL but when they it from sierra they made it the first proftiable online game network (to sierra only)

Old page AT and T

Nice work so far, but take a quick look at ATT. You may want to consider folding the text there into yours, or vice versa, then redirecting one entry to the other. --Paul Drye

Nicknames

AT&T is also known as the Death Star. This term of reference can be found throughout popular culture. Doonesbury, Bloom County, Bruce Sterling, BSD hackers, and even AT&T employees themselves have popularized the image. Please google and consider adding it. --Viriditas 11:35, 7 Sep 2004 (UTC)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2005-10-06-att-usat_x.htm (????)

Alascom

The articel says that ""The buyout marked the first time that any company with Bell roots would hold operations in the non-contiguous United States.""

yet the article on Bell Canada says "In 1879 Melville Bell sold the rights to National Bell Telephone Company in Boston, Massachusetts and thus officially became one of the first regional operating companies of what was to become the Bell System. The Bell Telephone Company of Canada Ltd. was founded in 1880 and granted a government monopoly on Canadian long distance telephone service. By 1914, the Bell Telephone Company serviced 237,000 subscribers. " This to me certianly says that Bell Canada has "bell Roots""?? cmacd 18:45, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

No, that statement is only referring to operations in the United States. KansasCity 15:03, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Merge

Very Strong Emphatic NO. These are two very different companies, different origins, different business focus, one defunct and the other still active. Merging would simply make no sense.

Very Strong Emphatic YES!!! This article should be merged with the other AT&T article, as they have the same name and come from the same bloodline.

While I do realize that the "new AT&T" is a totally different company, I think that when someone types in AT&T, they want all of AT&T. Telepheedian 18:06, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Please no! They are different. Its very simple, two different companies get two different articles. Imagine trying to explain on the same page how AT&T is defunct and currently running. =0 Yaanch^Speak! 20:42, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

Strong No They are very different companies and this would make their respective histories very confusing. Cornell Rockey 19:37, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Merge II

I think this article should be merged with AT&T and they are not different companies

-Mrsanitazier Martch 10,2007

Don't Merge - they ARE different companies. It would be possible to merge these two articles but doing so would create one huge bloated article out of two, and wouldn't take into account the unique history of the two companies. TheQuandry 19:38, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Strong Disagree! They are different companies! Very different. They have different histories and we have already gone over this extensively over time. Dont Merge! Yaanch^Speak! 23:56, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Don't Merge, Do not - they ARE different companies. One was almost Bankrupt in 2004. The other had the cash to buy the remains and took over the name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.163.237.170 (talk) 12:07, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Oppose. In the first place, that's patently false. Secondly, even if they were not, it would be useful to conceptually separate the topics. Having different articles for AT&T and SBC during this period is the only logical way to divide them up. One article would be bloated and illogical. Cool Hand Luke 19:13, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Requested move

This page should be moved to American Telephone & Telegraph. The current title of the article violates Wikipedia naming conventions. Adding "Company" to the article title does not convey any special significance. KansasCity 18:51, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

This page has been moved as the result of an uncontroversial move request. Dekimasuよ! 09:24, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

There was never any such thing as "American Telephone and Telegraph", always had Company appended, so now we're rewriting history to satisfy "Wikipedia conventions"?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!! 24.185.31.111 23:48, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Refer to WP:NAME. KansasCity 00:51, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it says LEGAL STATUS. Company in American Telephone and Telegraph Company doesn't refer to Legal Status. IT IS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY. As in "we are a Company that provides Telephone and Telegraph services. Once again, history is being rewritten to conform to arbitrary rules, and once again is the reason Wikipedia is worthless as a research tool. Just another internet toy like the dancing jesus! 24.185.31.111 06:34, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Legal Status of AT&T Corp

Someone has vandalized the site stating AT&T Corp is defunct when it still LEGALLY exists as a subsiary of AT&T, Inc. Problem has been fixed 69.104.165.61 (talk) 05:13, 18 April 2008 (UTC)D2

It is no longer an independently operating entity, however; its operations have been absorbed into those of AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications, Inc. If you want to use this as your reasoning for continuing to vandalize this page, then please kindly visit GTE, MCI Inc., Dobson Communications, Pacific Telesis, Ameritech, AT&T Wireless Services, Western Electric, Lucent Technologies (old company), AT&T Broadband, and a bevy of many other companies that have been bought out and kindly try to do perform the same sort of editing. The theory that AT&T Inc. is the same AT&T that was around in 1885 is incorrect. KansasCity (talk) 04:53, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

For a company to be defunct it would no longer exist. AT&T is a LEGAL subsidiary of AT&T, Inc. No Argument was mad they are the same. AT&T corp is like any of the other 22 Operating companies that are under the AT&T unbrealla. You are vandalizing this page by putting proven unthruths basically saying AT&T corp no longer exists. It does exist!69.104.18.21 (talk) 05:35, 23 April 2008 (UTC)D2

You're right, it does exist as a legal entity. So does New World Communications, even though it hasn't operated independently since it was purchased by News Corporation in 1997. Would you please go to that article and change the wording to make it sound like it still exists? After all, that is what should be done to other articles like BellSouth, Ameritech, GTE, MCI Inc., NYNEX, King World, Pacific Telesis, Lucent Technologies (old company), Mark Goodson Productions under your rationale that any company that has been absorbed into another still exists freely to this day. It is different from the Bell Operating Companies because those companies still actively do business within the AT&T structure, or with other telephone companies, albeit they have d/b/a names now. All of the forementioned companies have been dissolved as independent entities and their operations/personnel sent to the owning company, essentially making them nothing more than a defunct holding shell. How come you keep editing the corporate infobox to make no mention of AT&T Corporation having been purchased by SBC Communications? That is why I am suspect of these edits. You tried to vandalize the AT&T within the last year to no avail, so please don't think your tactics will work again. KansasCity (talk) 05:25, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

If it is a legal entity then it is a legal entity. Your argument that other pages on Wikipedia should be changed is not valid at all. First off many of those you mention like BellSouth & Pacific Telesis do not say defunct but say subsidiary of AT&T, Inc, just like this article should say! Obviously there are lots of problems on all of the Bell System pages because people did not do their homework and assumed some of these companies are defunct. The corporate infor box edit CLEARLY states that AT&T Corp is a legal subsidiary of AT&T, Inc. BTW, there is NO SBC Communications (although it is quite obvious that that fact is just killing you!) It is AT&T, Inc. Obviosuly the company though more highly of the name & history as it is so prominently featured on their corporate web site! A defunct holding shell is your OPINION and is not in any way a legal term. Wikipedia is based on facts and not opinions. As for the AT&T page that page has been changed by several people to give much better facts than the very pro-SBC page its was before! Stop using your opinions and stop vandalizing the site. AT&T, Corp exists!! Your tactics and vandalism will not work!!

On Jan. 31, 2005, SBC Communications Inc. ("SBC") announced its historic agreement to acquire AT&T Corp. After the closing of the acquisition, AT&T Corp. became a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC. In recognition of the global importance of the AT&T name, SBC changed its corporate name to AT&T Inc. The acquisition was completed on Nov. 18, 2005. For more information on this please click Source: http://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=7958 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.105.168.46 (talk) 01:43, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Recently, I have come across a court casing involving AT&T, Inc and AT&T, Corp. The auit clearly states AT&T Corp is a subsidiary of AT&T, Inc. from the suit - "AT&T Corp. and AT&T Inc. are telecommunications carriers, and both offer electronic communications service(s) to the public and remote computing service(s).” FAC 19. Plaintiffs further allege that “[p]rior to the acquisition and merger, AT&T Corp. and SBC [Communications Inc.] both had a significant business presence in California for many years. The new AT&T Inc. and its subsidiary, AT&T Corp., continue to have a significant business presence in California.” FAC 21; see also FAC 48, 49" The entire text can be found at http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/att/ATTInc_MotDismiss.pdf.

Once again, After the SBC-AT&T Merger SBC kept AT&T Corp as a subsidiary and did not dissolve the company, therefore it cannot be defunct. Stop the edit war, you are wrong on this one! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.105.169.232 (talk) 19:02, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

I have already stated that I agree that AT&T Corporation is a company owned by AT&T Inc. The reason it, along with Dobson Communications, BellSouth, GTE, NYNEX, Ameritech, Pacific Telesis, MCI Inc., Nextel Communications, Western Wireless, May Department Stores, and AT&T Broadband, all companies that were acquired and are now owned by their buyer are called defunct is because they no longer function independently. The fact of the matter is that AT&T Corporation existed from 1885-2005 as a lucrative operation, and now it has been acquired and replaced by the image of its buyer, AT&T Inc. KansasCity (talk) 04:24, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

None of those companies you mentioned (except BellSouth) do any type of business. AT&T Corp still sells Internet, Long Distance, and deals with overseas business (as referenced in the article) as a subsidiary of AT&T, Inc. None of those businesses you mentioned above still act as a subsidiary of the company they were bought by. None of those companies are mentioned in press breifs or corporate history. What's even more interesting is that on AT&T's web site, they open by saying we have been in businesss for a century. I think you don't get several valid points: 1) The legal status of AT&T, Corp. You say AT&T didn't dissolve the company but it is defunct (what's the difference!) 2)The history that AT&T uses. Why did they keep the AT&T name over the SBC name..history!! Why does AT&T Corp still do business under the AT&T family....history. 3) AT&T, Inc is a HOLDING COMPANY. It's many subsidiaries (AT&T Corp, and all the d/b/a's are who does the actual business - just like in the old "Ma Bell" days). Get over the fact you are wrong about this one and stop changing the true facts of the compnay. SBC has died...deal with it! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.125.35.179 (talk) 05:15, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

The SBC brand may have died, but the company is still around today as AT&T Inc. KansasCity (talk) 05:39, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Obviously AT&T doesn't agree with you! I wonder why the att.com web site says, we have been providing service for a century!! When the companies merged SBC died! SBC is gone, someday you will realize this! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.126.113.253 (talk) 01:33, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I would hope that someday you will realize that the company that has been promoting itself as AT&T Inc. this very day was formerly named SBC Communications, Inc. I cannot understand why this underlying historical fact is some basis for you to accuse someone of having an agenda to keep an old name alive. AT&T Inc. says it has been around for 100+ years because it seems that some people may not be able to tell a difference. I feel I have been very civil about discussing this matter, and all I have seen you do is nothing but attempt to belittle and disgrace anyone who gets in the way of what you want to see on a Wikipedia page, as witnessed also with a Little League article that has now been deleted. Several users have shown their frustration with your disruptive edits even to the point of page protection on the Verizon Communications page. I will say it again - AT&T Corporation is considered defunct in the infobox just like all of the other major defunct companies I mentioned earlier because it is no longer an independent freely running organization. It is subject to the current AT&T Inc. in all it does and in that regard is pretty much defunct in what it as a company wants to do, since its management has been replaced by AT&T Inc. That is why the other companies aforementioned, at least from what I have read and come to understand, are also called defunct. KansasCity (talk) 05:03, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

You have hardly been civil or wanting to discuss issues. Your take is that any IP user must also be a vandal. You are the one belittling people. You show very little respect for other's work if it doesn't match YOUR interpretation of reality. That is quite evident with your comment about the Little League page. A page that several people created but we were told that the info was not relevant enough. Our only questions was why and we attempted to surce out the info. So, is that all you do here is look up people who you don't agree with's history on Wikipedia? So your whole game plan is to block other's work (even when it is SOURCED) because it doesn't fit into what you think is reality! What is reality? SBC merged AT&T into its company in 2005. It diddn't just change its name. The company changed, they now have all of the assests of the old company. All of these compnaies have ties to the original company. You are just hung up on the fact that in 1983, AT&T corp formed 7 holding companies (in Delaware) and divested in 1984. You dismiss relevant facts with statements like "shell of a company" oe it seems "people can't tell the difference". Trust me if AT&T wanted them to know the difference, they would clearly spell it out. But in reality AT&T considers its company stretching back to the glory years of the start of the telephone!! You fail to address facts. Every thing posted by myslef or other has been backed up by a source. But I guess you feel since you a a "registered" user and you know all the little odds and ends about wikipedia that your contributions are better than others! Well, I guess I will have to get registered because I TRULY beleive the information that was posted was correct and have the evidence to back it up!!!! Why don't you truly discuss the issue instead of running aroiund trying to gets people's info blocked! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.105.59.100 (talk) 18:44, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't see how this is a defunct company. It seems that plenty of evidence has been present that the company still does business as a subsidiary. Let's try this https://www.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/soskb/Corp.asp?458695

States a company in good standing as of 2008. 'Nuff Said!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tymur3 (talk • contribs) 21:03, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

wp:copyvio

Removed copyright violation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Telephone_%26_Telegraph&diff=225537432&oldid=225537200

Text was taken direct from the linked press release. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.238.174.69 (talk) 05:27, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Long Distance

AT&T Corp DOES NOT provide long distance service. See AT&T Communications for the former subsidiary of AT&T Corp that did. Now they are a subsidiary company of AT&T Inc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.238.174.69 (talk) 05:35, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

I am reading my phone bill right now. "Our records indicate that you have selected AT&T California or a company that resells their services as your promary local toll carrier and AT&T Corp or a company that resells their services as your primary long distance carrier". Second https://www.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/soskb/Corp.asp?458695 is the official Missouri Secretary of State Corporate Business web site. It clearly states the company is still in good standing as of 5/5/2008. Carefully look at the founding dates, etc. Don't know what more proof you need!