March 7, 2005

AT&T - Will Its Purchase Hurt Your Business

SBC plans to purchase AT&T. Once the deal is approved by the necessary regulators and the deal goes through, AT&T will not give competition to the regional bell operating companies but will be one, as part of SBC. Losing this major competitor is causing some consumer advocates to worry.

In light of so many new telecommunication options on the market (VOIP, Skype, managed service telephony, etc) it's important to reconsider where you purchase your telecommunication service from and how much it's costing you.

Does your business need a telecommunications audit?

USA Today writes Their biggest fear: that the anti-Bell position, which AT&T promoted for two decades, will now get scant attention. That change, they say, could empower the Bells to flatten the opposition ? and consumers ? in the legal and political arenas.

"The AT&T-SBC merger removes from the scene a major competitor who can express in a forceful way the opposite view of things," says James Baller, a lawyer who often represents small towns in their fights with the Bells. "I think that is a very scary prospect."

I highly encourage you to read the full USA Today article to better understand the possibly implications of AT&T's purchase for your business.

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