adds to Berkshire's holdings |
-7 |
2015-11-16 00:00:00 |
The value of Berkshire's holdings increased 19% to $127 billion, as many of those shares declined.
He ended up with 59 million shares of AT&T (T, Tech30) that he received in exchange for the 31 million shares of DirecTV he used to own, as AT&T completed its purchase of DirecTV.
Goldman stock was lower Monday, while Wal-Mart shares gained.
Shares of AT&T, GM, Fox and IBM were all were up more than the broader market in morning trading Monday.
One of the biggest additions to Berkshire's portfolio came without buying additional shares. |
T |
{"Chris Isidore"} |
64 |
AT&T fined $100m for misleading consumers about ‘unlimited data’ plans |
-24 |
2015-06-17 00:00:00 |
Telecoms giant AT&T has been fined a record $100m for misleading consumers about the carrier’s “unlimited data” plans, plans that in fact capped data and slowed speeds by up to 90% after users topped 5GB of data in a month.
The official would not comment on whether or not the AT&T fine presaged further actions against the telecom’s competitors.
AT&T “used the misleading and inaccurate term ‘unlimited’” in reference to existing unlimited use plans that, in 2011, were quietly and unilaterally changed by the company to incorporate a “maximum bit rate” data speed cap.
The FCC served AT&T its notice of apparent liability (NAL) today, and it has 30 days to respond.
All four carriers have some kind of data throttling policy, though levels of transparency vary. |
T |
{"Sam Thielman"} |
77 |
Verizon, AT&T And Sprint Accused, But Is Everyone Guilty? |
-38 |
2013-06-06 17:05:57+00 |
According to AT&T, only the top 5 percent of its heaviest data users are affected by such data throttling.
Many Apple enthusiasts stand by their brand loyalty but admit they feel limited even when subscribing to unlimited service plans on carriers such as AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.
Matthew Spaccarelli won $850 in the case, having claimed that AT&T had throttled data speeds for customers using as little as 1.5GB per month.
Brown's report delves into the idea that networks are intentionally -- and increasingly -- limiting data speeds for Apple users without their knowledge.
Brown claims to have discovered code within Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad that proves carriers are intentionally throttling data speeds. |
T |
{} |
879 |
Netflix Throttles Streaming Video Quality on Verizon, AT&T |
-11 |
2016-03-28 00:00:00 |
In 2015, mobile video traffic accounted for 55% of all mobile data traffic, according to Cisco.
Netflix's revelation highlights the issues that the mobile industry would likely face as mobile data consumption continues to increase.
Wireless carriers, therefore, must find a balance between quality video streaming and unmanageable data costs.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Netflix has reduced video streaming speeds for consumers on most wireless carriers around the world and has been doing so for more than five years.
This news surfaced after Verizon and AT&T investigated the claims of T-Mobile CEO John Legere that T-Mobile customers could stream Netflix content at a higher resolution than Verizon and AT&T customers. |
T |
{"Andrew Meola"} |
540 |
Wild Card in AT&T Case: Lawyer Who Loves a Trial |
-45 |
None |
The approach was a possible precursor to the AT&T case, where the government's suit cited internal discussions at AT&T over competition from T-Mobile USA.
He speaks quickly, prompting the court reporter in the H&R Block trial to ask him repeatedly to slow down.
The H&R Block case was a dress rehearsal for the government's challenge to AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA, slated to begin in February.
A seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Wayland got his legal start in the Air Force, where he was a captain and tried contractor-fraud cases.
At the H&R Block trial things unfolded differently. |
T |
{"Thomas Catan And Brent Kendall"} |
601 |
Big battle ahead over big merger |
-14 |
2016-10-24 00:00:00 |
(Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP)It's a big deal that arrives squarely in the midst of a presidential campaign that gave us the word "bigly.
Time Warner, in fact, was a participant in one of the all-time merger horror shows, its doomed 2000 marriage to AOL.
AT&T and Time Warner argue that there aren't really any serious regulatory issues to worry about because the companies don't compete.
And the sheer size of the undertaking guarantees in the current climate some very intense scrutiny by the federal government.
Then think about the scope: It would put together a big time content distributor with a content producer whose wide array of holdings include HBO, CNN, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, the Cartoon Network, Bleacher Report and DC Comics. |
T |
{"Edt October","P M","Rem Rieder"} |
742 |
A merged AT&T-Time Warner may not do consumers much good |
-11 |
2016-10-23 00:00:00 |
Time Warner makes TV shows and movies; AT&T gets that video to customers’ computers, phones and TVs.
(Steven Senne, File/Associated Press)NEW YORK — AT&T and Time Warner are playing up how their $85.4 billion merger will lead to innovative new experiences for customers.
But many consumers already consider ads that know everything about them creepy or invasive, and digital-rights groups complain that any preferential deal AT&T could offer with, say, HBO would hurt competition.
FILE - This May 14, 2014 file photo shows an AT&T logo on a store in Dedham, Mass.
AT&T is said to be offering $80 billion or more, a massive deal that would shake up the media landscape. |
T |
{} |
703 |
F.C.C. Fines AT&T $25 Million for Privacy Breach |
-21 |
2015-04-08 00:00:00 |
PhotoThe Federal Communications Commission fined AT&T $25 million for failing to protect the personal information, including Social Security numbers, of its customers, the agency said on Wednesday.
said, and new measures have been enacted at those call centers to mask private data like Social Security numbers.
“Customers trust that their phone company will zealously guard access to sensitive personal information in customer records,” said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the agency’s enforcement bureau.
The additional breaches in Colombia and the Philippines were not uncovered until this year, when AT&T reported them to the F.C.C.
They added that the personal information that employees had taken without authorization was used to submit 290,803 handset unlock requests for mobile phones through AT&T’s website. |
T |
{"Rebecca R"} |
76 |
AT&T, Verizon Named in U.S. Probe of $20 Billion Data Market |
-9 |
2015-10-16 00:00:00 |
Frontier and CenturyLink also are named by the agencyFour companies, including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., are being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission over the terms they set for business customers in a $20 billion market to carry high-speed data.
The FCC’s probe is “perplexing,” Frank Simone, AT&T vice president of federal regulatory, said in an e-mailed statement.
Business data services are dedicated network connections often used by banks, manufacturers, schools and other organizations that need to transport large amounts of data.
They include, for instance, the lines connecting cash-dispensing automated teller machines to banks and credit unions.
‘Anti-Competitive Contracts’The probe will confirm market failure that “has enabled a few powerful firms to leverage their dominance to extract excessive fees as part of anti-competitive contracts,” said Jeff Silva, a Sprint spokesman. |
T |
{"More Stories Todd Shields","Todd Shields"} |
1304 |
AT&T and Verizon's Wireline and Wireless Cross-Subsidies Harm Competition and Every Communications Service You Use |
-32 |
2016-06-06 02:36:17+00 |
And it is clear from AT&T and Verizon's EBITDA wireless service margins (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) that they have had massive financial gains from the current wireless marketplace.
AT&T Mobility's EBITDA service margin was 46.7% at year end 2015, up from 42% in 2014; Verizon Wireless was 55.3%, up from 48.6% in 2014.
At the same time, the affiliate companies, like Verizon Wireless, do not pay market prices for using the networks, so the wireless services also have obscene profits.
Moreover, the wireless companies are making decisions about who will or will not get upgraded.
Verizon Wireless Appears to Be Paying a Fraction of What Other Competitors Are Paying for Use of The Wireline Networks. |
T |
{"Bruce Kushnick","Www Twitter Com Brucekushnick","Bruce A Kushnick","Follow Bruce Kushnick On Twitter","New Networks Institute","Executive Director"} |
1307 |
US to examine AT&T deal to buy Time Warner |
-12 |
None |
Image copyright AFP Image caption The deal is believed to be the biggest so far in the world this yearUS lawmakers and both presidential candidates have raised questions about AT&T's deal to buy Time Warner.
Buying Time Warner, which we should not confuse with Time Warner Cable, allows AT&T to become a full service media provider and one of the more important companies in the world.
Senator Mike Lee, the Republican who chairs the antitrust subcommittee, said the deal would "potentially raise significant antitrust issues, which the subcommittee would carefully examine".
Mr Bergmayer suggested that AT&T might let mobile customers watch TV and films from Time Warner without counting it against their data caps, which would make video from other providers less attractive.
However, AT&T's chief executive Randall Stephenson believes regulators will approve the deal. |
T |
{} |
1309 |
AT&T Chief Visits Trump With Time Warner Deal Looming Large |
-9 |
2017-01-12 00:00:00 |
So it was little surprise that Mr. Stephenson talked about less incendiary topics in his 45-minute meeting with Mr. Trump.
Even so, the Time Warner deal loomed large.
AT&T is pursuing a $85.4 billion bid for Time Warner, a deal that is to be reviewed this year by regulators appointed by Mr. Trump.
The meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Stephenson, which included Bob Quinn, AT&T’s head of lobbying and regulatory affairs, appeared to do little to defuse tension.
PhotoWASHINGTON — AT&T’s chief executive, Randall Stephenson, paid an important visit on Thursday: to Trump Tower to see President-elect Donald J. Trump. |
T |
{"Cecilia Kang"} |
1311 |
Trump meets with AT&T chief amid his battle with CNN and opposition to Time Warner deal |
-16 |
2017-01-12 00:00:00 |
He was not specifically asked about the AT&T-Time Warner deal.
Randall Stephenson met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York, according to transition spokesman Sean Spicer.
Donald Trump met Thursday with the chief executive of AT&T Inc. amid the president-elect’s outspoken opposition to the telecom giant’s proposed $85.4-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc. and a flare-up in his long-running battle with the media company’s CNN outlet.
Trump hasn’t spoken about the deal since the election, but his ongoing battle with CNN flared anew this week with the cable news network’s reporting on allegations that Russia gathered compromising information on Trump.
In a conference call with reporters, Spicer did not provide any details about the meeting and would not comment on whether Trump remained opposed to the deal. |
T |
{"Meg James","Jim Puzzanghera"} |
1312 |
AT&T Executives to Meet With Trump to Talk Time Warner Deal |
-11 |
2017-01-12 00:00:00 |
CNN TweetIt’s unclear whether Trump’s opposition to the deal is influenced by his animosity toward CNN, controlled by Time Warner.
Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, was asked by reporters on a conference call Thursday whether Trump still favors scuttling the deal.
CEO is seen at Trump Tower in New York Thursday morningDonald Trump met with AT&T Inc. Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson to discuss the company’s proposed $85.4 billion bid for Time Warner Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.
One of Stephenson’s previous megamerger attempts, a 2011 deal to acquire T-Mobile USA Inc., now T-Mobile US Inc., was derailed by the Obama administration.
The Justice Department could sue to stop the transaction, but it would have to convince the courts that the deal would threaten competition. |
T |
{"Scott Moritz","Terrence Dopp","More Stories Kevin Cirilli","Kevin Cirilli","More Stories Scott Moritz","More Stories Terrence Dopp"} |
1313 |
AT&T CEO: We're ready for the scrutiny CNN brings |
-11 |
2017-01-18 00:00:00 |
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said Wednesday that he is ready to deal with the attention that owning CNN would bring.
"I walked away saying 'This guy is a CEO,' " Stephenson said Wednesday.
"Related: AT&T CEO pledges journalistic independence for CNNSome observers have speculated that Trump could block the merger as a way of punishing Time Warner and AT&T because of his dislike for CNN.
Related: White House reporters rally for Trump eraLast week, the AT&T boss met with Trump in New York.
"Stephenson has argued since the deal was struck that it should go through because AT&T and Time Warner are not direct competitors. |
T |
{"Charles Riley"} |
1314 |