Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

Industry: SBC

See AT&T

Regulatory

• SBC COMMUNICATIONS INC. Adopted a Consent Decree terminating an investigation into the compliance of SBC with the merger conditions under applications of Ameritech Corp., transferor, and SBC, transferee. (Dkt No. 98-141). Action by: Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/19/2003 by ORDER. (DA No. 03-825). EB, FCC 3/21/03
  • Roy Mark, AT&T Makes Network Neutrality Concessions, Oct. 16, 2006
  • Marguerite Reardon, FCC Approves AT&T-BellSouth Merger, CNET, Dec. 29, 2006.
• SBC ADVANCED SOLUTIONS, INC. PETITION FOR INTERIM WAIVER OF SECTION 61.38, 61.58 AND 61.59 OF THE COMMISSION'S RULES. Granted SBC- ASI's Request to Withdraw its Petition for Waiver of Sections 61.58 and 61.59 of the Commission's rules, and terminated the proceeding initiated by the Petition. Action by: Deena Shetler. Adopted: 05/13/2003 by ORDER. (DA No. 03-1585). WCB, FCC 5/14/03
• SBC ADVANCED SOLUTIONS, INC. PETITION FOR INTERIM WAIVER TO FILE CONTRACT TARIFFS FOR ADVANCED SERVICES. Granted SBC-ASI's Request to Withdraw its Petition for Waiver of the Commission's rules, and terminated the proceeding initiated by the Petition. Action by: Deputy Division Chief, Pricing Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau. Adopted: 05/13/2003 by ORDER. (DA No. 03- 1584). WCB, FCC 5/14/03
• Released: 10/31/2002. ENFORCEMENT BUREAU SEEKS COMMENTS ON SBC COMMUNICATIONS SECTION 272 COMPLIANCE BIENNIAL AUDIT REPORT IN CC DOCKET NO. 96-150. (DA No. 02-2925). (Dkt No 96-150). Comments Due: 12/30/2002. EB FCC 11/1/02

Notes

• SBC is the holding company of South Western Bell, Pac Bell, ASI, Cingular Wireless (SBC owned 60% in 2002)
• 1999 merged with Ameritech.  Ameritech territories included Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
• Advanced Solutions Inc. (ASI) created in May 2002 as result of merger with Ameritech for the purpose of offering SBC advanced services
• Affiliated ISPs:
• Pacific Bell Internet,
• SBC Internet Services,
• Prodigy Communications (SBC fully acquired Prodigy in 2001) - SBC looks for DSL boost from Prodigy –CNET  September 25, 2001; About Prodigy ("Prodigy Communications, a subsidiary of SBC Communications, is one of America's leading Internet service providers (ISPs) serving the largest number of high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet customers in the United States. Founded in 1984 as the first consumer online service, the company together with SBC has grown to serve more than 3.6 million customers.")  See also About Prodigy and SBC.
• CEI Plans
• Network Disclosures
• DSL
• Lines in Service | Adoption
• 2002Q02 - 1.7 million DSL lines (net gain of 213,000 lines, up 67% from a year ago)  SBC Investory Briefing page 6 August 13, 2002
• 2002Q01 - 1.5 million DSL lines (net gain of 183,000 lines, 25% growth over Q04)
• 2001Q04 - 1.3 million DSL lines (net gain of 146,000 lines)
• 2001Q03 - 1.187 million DSL lines (net gain of 150,000 lines)
• 2001Q02 - 1,037 million DSL lines (net gain of 83,000 lines)
• 2001Q01 - 954 million DSL lines
• 2000Q04 - 767 million DSL lines - SBC Reports First-Quarter Result April 18, 2002
• "In 2001, SBC reduced its DSL per-customer recurring costs by 20 percent and per-customer nonrecurring costs by 35 percent, and targeted further 30 percent reductions in both categories in 2002.  At the end of the second quarter, SBC already had achieved a 25 percent reduction in per-customer recurring costs and a 30 percent reduction in per-customer nonrecurring costs."  SBC Investory Briefing page 6 August 13, 2002
• Nationwide Data/IP Backbone
• "Important drivers of data growth rates for the quarter were cutbacks for ISPs.  Looking at three basic transport products in the business segment - DS1s, DS3s and Private Rate Interface ISDN - ISP revenues declined 44 percent compared with the second quarter a year ago, while the medium/small business segment grew 13.4 percent and government /education / medical grew 9.7 percent.  Overall revenues for these products declined 8.6 percent, but excluding ISPs, grew 2.8 percent."  SBC Investory Briefing page 5 August 13, 2002
• "Much of SBC's data/IP network was built out last year, and completion of in-region network connections is already a part of SBC's 2002 capital guidance."  SBC Reports First-Quarter Result April 18, 2002

Enforcement

• See Fine Related to SBC Ameritech Merger 10/2002
• FCC GRANTS FORMAL COMPLAINT; FINDS SBC IN VIOLATION OF THE SBC/AMERITECH MERGER ORDER. The FCC granted in part a complaint brought by Core Communications, Inc. and Z-Tel Communications, Inc. against SBC Communications, Inc. and its nine incumbent local exchange affiliates. News Release. News Media Contact: John R. Winston at (202) 418-7450 EB. Contact John R. Winston or Suzanne Tetreault at (202) 418-7450, FCC 4/17/03
• SBC COMMUNICATIONS INC. Adopted a Consent Decree terminating an investigation into the compliance of SBC with the merger conditions under applications of Ameritech Corp., transferor, and SBC, transferee. (Dkt No. 98-141). Action by: Chief, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 03/19/2003 by ORDER. (DA No. 03-825). EB, FCC 3/21/03
• FCC Fines SBC $3.6 Million, Internet News 5/29/02
• FCC FINES SBC COMMUNICATIONS, INC. $100,000 FOR VIOLATING ENFORCEMENT BUREAU ORDER. News Release. News Media Contact: John Winston at (202) 418-7450 EB. Contact Elizabeth H. Valinoti at 9202) 418-1529 DOC-221615A1.doc DOC-221615A1.pdf DOC-221615A1.txt, FCC 4/15/02
• SBC COMMUNICATIONS, INC. Imposed a monetary forfeiture to SBC Communications, Inc. in the amount of $100,000 for failure to submit a sworn written response to an Enforcement Bureau letter of inquiry. Action by: the Commission. Adopted: 04/09/2002 by Forfeiture Order. (FCC No. 02-112). EB FCC-02-112A1.doc FCC-02-112A1.pdf FCC-02-112A1.txt, fcc 4/15/02

Links

• SBC Investor Briefings

Yahoo!

News & Blogs

VoIP

• SBC readies Net phone service, CNET 1/14/2005
• SBC to Build Voice-and-Data Network for Ford, eweek 9/24/2004
• SBC offers businesses new VoIP service, Mercury 11/21/2003
• SBC Launches Voice over Internet Service, Newsfactor 11/12/2003

SBC revises high-speed Internet prices, Reuters 11/1/2005

SBC Reports 41% Profit Decline, NYT 10/21/2005

Broadband uptake lifts SBC numbers, FT 10/21/2005

SBC's Q1 earnings drop 53 percent on merger costs, Bizjournal 4/27/2005

SBC, Hewlett-Packard form alliance, CNET 1/14/2005

SBC's Whitacre announces IP-based services suite, Infoworld 1/7/2005

SBC Plans Set-Top Box with Web Links, eweek 1/4/2005

SBC offers $19.95 DSL with a catch, CNET 10/29/2004

SBC Investor Briefing Oct 21, 2004, SBC 11/12/2004

SBC Sued by Web Service Providers, NYTimes 7/25/03

SBC targeted in antitrust lawsuit, CNET 7/25/03

Net-access providers sue SBC, Mercury 7/25/03

SBC gets sued, USA Today 7/25/03

Former attorney general pleads guilty to fraud charges, CNN 7/18/03

SBC offers flat-rate plan, mercury 4/4/03

Justice Dept. Fails to Back SBC's Michigan Bid, Reuters 2/26/03

SBC Yahoo! Gets DirecTV Nod, Internet News 1/2/03

Federal Communications Commission Authorizes SBC to Provide Long Distance Service in California, FCC 12/20/02

SBC cites revenue slip, DSL gains CNET 10/24/02

Yahoo, SBC lure users to switch ISPs Info World 10/15/02

SBC To Lay Off 11,000 Workers, AP 10/1/02

SBC Gets 'Personal' With DSL, Internet News 8/21/02

SBC Reports Lower Profit and Revenue, NYT 7/24/02

SBC misses Street on spending drop, CNET 7/24/02

SBC fixes glitch blocking DSL, CNET 6/10/02

SBC, Yahoo launch co-branded Net access, CNET 6/3/02

SBC Cuts Jobs Blaming Regulators, Internet News 5/15/02

Washington Post Co. Unveils TechNews.com, Internet News 5/17/02

SBC to miss upgrade deadline, CNET 2/28/02

SBC Gets Cozy With Yahoo!, Newsbytes 12/28/01

Court tells FCC to reconsider SBC ruling, CNET 12/28/01