Free Republic

See link for letter... (1) The Patriot Act turned the intel surveillance radar from foreign searches for terrorists to domestic searches for terrorists. (2) Obama/Biden then redefined what is a “terrorist” to include their political opposition. In the era shortly after 9/11, the DC national security apparatus, instructed by Vice President Dick Cheney, was constructed to preserve continuity of government and simultaneously view all Americans as potential threats. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) were created specifically for this purpose. After 9/11/01, the electronic surveillance system that was originally created...

The operator is going off the hook for millions of customers. Starting in January, AT&T customers with digital landlines won’t be able to dial 411 or 0 to reach an operator or get directory assistance. AT&T in 2021 ended operator services for wireless callers, although customers with home phone landlines can still access operators and directory help. Verizon, T-Mobile and other major carriers still offer these services for a fee While operator services may be nearly obsolete, it’s important to consider emergency circumstances where a caller may need to reach an operator and the customers who still rely on these...

Posted on January 12, 2021 Here’s all the companies boycotting Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and other Republicans for objecting last weekFiled Under: Mark Speaks

Internet providers AT&T, Comcast and Verizon are among a slew of companies that have committed to keeping Americans connected even if they can’t pay their bills during the coronavirus outbreak. Dozens of Internet and telephone service providers have signed the FCC’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge. The companies have agreed to “not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic,” for a 60-day period, according to the FCC. They have also promised to waive any late fees incurred because of the coronavirus crisis...

CBS is warning viewers that its stations could be blacked out on AT&T’s DirecTV and Uverse pay-TV services on July 19 and that the network could be pulled from streaming service DirecTV Now because of a dispute over programming fees. CBS Logo “CBS would like to avoid being dropped, but unless an agreement is reached, our viewers should be prepared for DirecTV and AT&T Uverse TV to remove CBS-owned television stations,” CBS said in a statement Tuesday. AT&T is currently in a retransmission consent fee dispute with Nexstar that has resulted in about 120 stations being blacked out for nearly...

Michael Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action is urging Amazon, Apple, and YouTube to cut ties with NRATV. DirectTV, AT&T, Google, and Roku are also being pressured to make the break. According to Huff Post, Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts released a statement saying, “NRATV is home to the NRA’s most dangerous and violence-inciting propaganda. It’s time for tech leaders to acknowledge their role in helping the NRA spread this dangerous content and cut it out.” She added, “We demand that Apple, Amazon, AT&T’s DIRECTV, Google and Roku all dump NRATV once and for all.” Brad Chase is friends with the...

Multinational telecommunications conglomerate AT&T is expected to lay off more than 1,000 American workers, including those in the Midwest and South, while the company continues importing foreign workers. This week, AT&T announced that it would be laying off roughly 600 Americans across the Midwest, according to AppleInsider. Additionally, the company will lay off about 700 American workers with the AT&T subsidiary DirectTV and another 700 workers in the Texas and Missouri regions. This month, AT&T also laid off about 215 American workers in nine southern states. Overall, according to AppleInsider, the layoffs are impacting Americans in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland,...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- AT&T has announced layoff’s affecting people in five states, including Missouri. Just days before Christmas, hundreds of people in the metro found out they will be out of jobs come Jan. 4. On Dec. 16, the company announced a surplus affecting an estimated 600 employees in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The workers affected are both indoor and outdoor technicians. Many of the layoffs in the metro area affect Direct TV technicians and employees at a local call center. On Thursday, leaders of the Local 6360 Union held a meeting to offer help and...

Democrat leaders, like Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders played the Marxist class warfare card hard in an effort to paint the GOP tax cut bill as a payoff to the rich while screwing over the “middle class.” If you’ve watched any mainstream media, the quartet of Marxists has been outright lying about the effects of allowing Americans to keep more of their own money and away from the coffers of the D.C. swamp. Without belaboring you with their dire predictions, suffice it to say that there has been plenty of unhinged wailing and gnashing of teeth...

Hours after landing a massive tax windfall, AT&T, Comcast, Wells Fargo and Boeing — among other major companies — announced plans Wednesday to share a fraction of their bounty with workers. The moves pleased President Donald Trump, who has claimed his $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that largely favor the wealthy and businesses would ultimately help the middle class. But Democratic lawmakers and corporate watchdogs say the move is a public relations stunt that pales in comparison to the profits the companies’ shareholders and executives will reap because of the lower tax rates. The stock market, as well, has risen...

AT&T plans to invest an additional $1 billion in the U.S. in 2018 and pay a special bonus of $1,000 to more than 200,000 U.S. employees once the Republican tax reform bill is signed into law. “If the President signs the bill before Christmas, employees will receive the bonus over the holidays,” AT&T said in a press release Wednesday. The company said the bonus payments will go to union-represented, non-management, and front-line managers. In other words, the working men and women who President Donald Trump has promised will be helped by the tax reform bill.(snip)

Expect a stampede of companies handing out bonuses, raising pay, spending on capital projects and giving to charities, with the windfall from the massive corporate tax cuts passed Wednesday. In the hours after Congress the GOP tax cut plan, a handful of companies jumped to announce plans to share some of the proceeds on their employees and spend on infrastructure. AT&T was first out of the gate, saying it would give more than 200,000 unionized employees a special bonus of $1,000 once the tax bill is signed. The company also said it would increase its capital expenditures by $1 billion....

President Trump on Wednesday spoke with 21st Century Fox CEO Rupert Murdoch about an agreement whereby Fox will sell most of its entertainment assets to The Walt Disney Co. for $52.4 billion. Why it matters: Trump and Murdoch are old pals, but this conversation could raise accusations of political favoritism when it comes to regulatory approvals. Not only for Disney/Fox, but also for AT&T's attempted takeover of Time Warner. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders did not explicitly say that Trump supports the Disney-Fox deal, but did say that he believes it "could be a great thing for jobs." Reality...

CNN and celebrity gossip site TMZ could potentially be sold off after AT&T merges with Time Warner, a report claims. The $85 billion deal, which was announced in October, will give AT&T control of Time Warner properties including CNN, HBO and TMZ, as well as the film studio Warner Bros and other coveted media assets. Sources told Deadline that AT&T executives are considering getting rid of some of Time Warner's assets, including the cable news network and the celebrity gossip site. 'They don't want any controversy,' one source said of AT&T. AT&T reportedly expects the deal to be approved and...

Following the revelation that CNN published fake news about the Trump administration and its alleged ties to Russia after an investigation by Breitbart News, the next head to roll at the embattled media company may be President Jeff Zucker. “AT&T will look to ‘neutralize’ CNN President Jeff Zucker after it buys Time Warner,” the New York Post reported on Wednesday. “The buzz from the telecommunications giant comes as CNN is being slammed for highly publicized missteps, according to three sources familiar with the thinking of AT&T brass,” the Post reported. In the wake of Breitbart’s investigation, CNN issued the following...

A new collection of transportation agencies and universities is taking one small step toward transforming the Rust Belt into a place associated with the future instead of the past. Eleven agencies and institutions located in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have formed the Smart Belt Coalition, which will spur joint efforts on the testing and deployment of autonomous and connected cars. The collaboration comes on the heels of a legislative overhaul of Michigan regulations last month, which have been relaxed to spur the testing of self-driving technology on the state’s public roads. Ohio and Pennsylvania do not have laws on the...

Some pondered whether Time Warner would have to sell off CNN to get the deal approved. “If AT&T had to spin off CNN to get the deal approved, I suspect they would be willing to do so,” said analyst Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson. “As far as BuzzFeed, which is a failing pile of garbage, writing it, I think they’re going to suffer the consequences,” Trump said.

Top Media Reporter Hints Murdochs Could Tap CNN’s Zucker to Run Fox News Daniel Nussbaum 25 Oct 2016 In a piece exploring AT&T’s pending $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, top media journalist and author Michael Wolff floats an interesting theory: namely, that if either former News Corp. COO Peter Chernin or current CNN chief Jeff Zucker don’t replace outgoing Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes, Zucker could be tapped by Rupert Murdoch’s sons to replace Roger Ailes atop Fox News. Wolff explains in a column at the Hollywood Reporter:

AT&T today released the following statement, verbatim:An Update for Our Smartphone Customers With Unlimited Data Plans Like other wireless companies, we’re taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data. Many experts agree the country is facing a serious wireless spectrum crunch. We’re responding on many levels, including investing billions in our wireless network this year and working to acquire additional network capacity. We’re also taking additional, more immediate measures to help address network congestion. One new measure is a step that may reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a very small minority of smartphone customers who are on...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AT&T Inc said on Friday it would record a $1 billion non-cash charge for the current quarter related to the new U.S. health care reform law, as lawmakers called on the company and three other large employers to testify about expected cost hikes. AT&T's charge appeared to be the largest in a series of charges announced by U.S. companies this week. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee said on Friday it will call on the chief executives of AT&T, Caterpillar , Verizon and Deere to testify on April 21 about how the reform might adversely affect...