AT&T will support education during the Covid-19 pandemic

By Cohen Coberly; TechSpot ~ Nov 12, 2020

In brief: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused problems for us all, but teachers and students have arguably faced more disruptions than most. Many schools have switched to online teaching for the foreseeable future, which is an issue for students and teachers without reliable internet access. AT&T hopes to close this “homework gap” by providing cheap (or free) data to those who need it most.

Across more than 135,000 public and private schools (K-12, specifically), AT&T will begin offering steep discounts on wireless data plans. Schools that wish to participate in this limited-time deal can migrate their existing AT&T wireless data lines (or activate new ones) for just $15 a month, per student.

By Brian Womack; Dallas Business Journal ~   Nov 06, 2020

AT&T is getting a former official with the Federal Communications Commission as its next chairman.

The Dallas company’s directors named William Kennard — already on the board — to take the position in January. He follows Randall Stephenson, who was set to relinquish the post of executive chairman after also stepping down as CEO July 1.

Kennard was named FCC Chairman in 1997, a position he held until 2001. He earlier had been general counsel at the agency. From 2009 to 2013 he was the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union.

“Bill’s deep knowledge of communications, media and technology, proven leadership and broad experience across capital markets and government uniquely positions him to serve as AT&T’s new chairman,” Stephenson said in a statement.

From “The Value Portfolio”; Seeking Alpha ~ Nov 06, 2020

Summary

• AT&T has an impressive portfolio of assets, but the company continues to suffer from investor perception of financial risk.

• The company can manage its debt load, and has only outperformed its original COVID-19 expectations.

• We expect the company to generate substantial and long-term shareholder rewards.

• I do much more than just articles at The Energy Forum: Members get access to model portfolios, regular updates, a chat room, and more. Get started today »

By Jeff Baumgartner; Light Reading ~ Nov 05, 2020

Cable One is wasting no time zeroing in on the part of its footprint where it faces DSL competition – or a lack of much DSL competition – from AT&T after the telco opted to stop new DSL signups.

Cable One has identified an 80,000-home area that overlaps with AT&T’s DSL service. “Our marketing people are on top of taking advantage of that situation,” Julie Laulis, Cable One’s CEO, said on Thursday’s Q3 earnings call.

AT&T confirmed last month that it had halted the sale of DSL to new customers as it instead applies a bigger focus on fiber-to-the-premises and wireless-based broadband services.

Cable One also offered some color on its recent acquisition of licensed CBRS spectrum. It bid for that spectrum for Wisper Internet, a fixed wireless ISP that Cable One recently invested in, according to Steven Cochran, Cable One’s SVP and CFO.

By Alex Weprin; The Hollywood Reporter ~ Nov 03, 2020d

The logistics company said the executive “is leaving the board to focus on his responsibilities” at the telecom conglomerate.

AT&T CEO John Stankey, who previously served as the CEO of WarnerMedia, will step down from the board of directors of shipping and logistics giant UPS.

Stankey had been a UPS board member since 2014. In a statement UPS said Stankey “is leaving the board to focus on his responsibilities” as CEO of AT&T. The telecom and media executive was named CEO of AT&T in July, succeeding Randall Stephenson.

By Jeff Baumgartner; Light Reading ~ Nov 03, 2020

Following initial attempts to unload its struggling DirecTV business, AT&T is pursuing a different avenue – the sale of a “significant minority” stake of its entire pay-TV business, including DirecTV, U-verse and at least one of its streaming options, according to CNBC.

Under this more complicated structure, AT&T would retain majority economic ownership of the pay-TV business and would hold onto the infrastructure elements (including plants and fiber) for U-verse, the report added, noting that AT&T’s discussions involve private equity firms, including Apollo Management.

By Jericho Casper; Broadband Breakfast ~ Oct 26, 2020

A recent AT&T statement announced that the company will be phasing out DSL services, which provide internet access over cable technology from the 1990s to over 653,000 AT&T customers.

The statement released by the company read, “We’re beginning to phase out outdated services like DSL and new orders for the service will no longer be supported after October 1. Current DSL customers will be able to continue their existing service or where possible upgrade to our 100 percent fiber network.”

Those that have DSL service can keep it, for now, but no new subscribers will be able to join the network. AT&T’s official DSL webpage has been updated to state that “AT&T no longer offers DSL service.”

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

AT&T and Cisco have extended their collaboration to manage Internet of Things (IoT) devices for enterprises. AT&T Control Center powered by Cisco gives businesses near real-time visibility of all the devices on their network and enhances their ability to gather and use device data to drive business outcomes.

AT&T and Cisco manage millions of connected devices spanning manufacturing, utilities, transportation, public sector, retail and healthcare industries as well as public safety on FirstNet, built with AT&T.

For more than a decade, the companies have worked together to manage services for U.S. enterprises and support through the AT&T Global SIM for international roaming that provides IoT connectivity in more than 200 countries and territories.

By Jeff Baumgartner; Light Reading ~ Oct 22, 2020

Reflecting the direction of the overall video market, AT&T lost a bunch more pay-TV subs in Q3 2020 but also saw significant growth for HBO Max, the new premium streaming service from corporate cousin WarnerMedia.

AT&T lost a total of 627,000 video connections in the period – 590,000 “premium” losses (a mix of DirecTV satellite TV subs and U-verse IPTV customers) and 37,000 OTT subs. AT&T ended the quarter with 17.78 million total video connections – 17.10 million premium subs and 682,000 OTT subs (a mix of AT&T TV Now and AT&T TV customers).

GroVal Capital; Seeking Alpha ~ Oct 15, 2020

Summary

• AT&T has a lot of debt, but it is not unmanageable.

• The company’s current cashflow is sufficient to support the debt and the dividend.

• The future of the company depends on their ability to sustain and grow their free cash flow, and that requires better execution in their highly competitive industries.

AT&T’s (NYSE:T) stock price is stagnating not because of the debt or the cash flow, or the payout ratio or COVID. It is stagnating because the market doesn’t have confidence the company will effectively compete in its competitive markets. It is not enough that the company simply tout a particular payout ratio or even lower its debt. AT&T must show it can compete and grow its business. Unless and until AT&T does that, it is going to continue to be a frustrating ride for shareholders.