AT&T to buy BellSouth in $67 billion deal

[Charade]

WOW!!! 65 Billion!!

I guess we're coming full circle. The gov't made ATT break up now their buying back the baby Bells.

 

[dundee10]

Yeah, I'm disappointed. We're moving in the wrong direction.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

How are we moving in the wrong direction? Before AT&T was divested in 1980, we had one local company and one long distance company.

We now have cellular service, IP telephony, Skype, Google Talk and multiple choices for long distance. We have broadband Internet, satellite, cable TV and WiFi. Cable operators will still fight to the death with AT&T/Verizon.

The world has changed. I don't think this is a bad thing at all. AT&T (SBC) already owned the majority of Cingular. So now they will own all of it. And Cingular will become AT&T Wireless (again). Excellent brand recognition.

 

[bicker]

The original divestiture of AT&T was a grievious error, which the passage of time and the marketplace has rectified, despite Judge Greene's best efforts.

 

[Charade]

The original divestiture of AT&T was a grievous error, which the passage of time and the marketplace has rectified, despite Judge Greene's best efforts.

But now the Gov't wants to treat communications via the internet like they do landline telephone communications by taxing it.

They need to keep their greedy mitts off of it!

They should treat any point to point communications the same. You don't pay anything more to send a letter other than the stamp. If the Fed can move communique from one point to another without a zillion excise taxes and other BS, then the private sector should be able to as well.

 

[bicker]

I'd rather the government charge use taxes than charge higher income taxes. At least then I can control how much tax I pay, without having to deliberately get underpaid for my work.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I thought that was interesting timing, huh? For those of us waiting to find out if we have our jobs on March 7th for the SBC/AT&T merger.
The death star is coming for us, we hope to escape.....

 

[JohnMouse]

This phone merger is just like putting the Standard Oil Trust back together. Mobil(formerly Socony) and Exxon(formerly Esso) were the 2 biggest firms to emerge from that....now they're together. Chevron(formerly Standard of California) bought Gulf and then Texaco. BP bought Sohio, Amoco and ARCO(all former Standard affiliates). Conoco(another Standard lopoff) bought Phillips 66 and 76 Union. It's getting really hard to find a gas station that isn't part of one of the old Standard group(e.g. Shell, Hess, CITGO, Sunoco.....).

 

[piphay]

My life partner works for BellSouth corporate in Atlanta. We were already going thru a reduction to be completed in April 06, and now this. Wow! A lot to process.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My life partner works for BellSouth corporate in Atlanta. We were already going thru a reduction to be completed in April 06, and now this. Wow! A lot to process.

All I can say is start job hunting.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

It's getting really hard to find a gas station that isn't part of one of the old Standard group(e.g. Shell, Hess, CITGO, Sunoco.....).

Hess (Amerada Hess Corporation) was not ever part of the Standard Oil group. CITGO is now 100% owned by PDVSA, the national oil company of Venezuela.