AT&T: Out of My In-Box!

Last week we witnessed Verizon trying to prevent a nonprofit from communicating with its own members because the company believed the content to be "unsavory." Under the pressure of The New York Times front-page story and a storm of criticism, they caved.

Now it's happened again: another communications company trying to limit communications of its subscribers. This time, AT&T has added a bizarre provision in its terms of service that its network subscribers -- anyone using AT&T for internet service -- cannot participate in "conduct that AT&T believes...tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."

So the message from AT&T is: if you're using AT&T for your e-mail, be careful what you say. Goodbye free speech. Hello, corporate censorship.

But let's be clear: the only one doing real damage to AT&T . . . is AT&T's own corporate policy .

Sadly, we have few alternative services. Over the past 10 years we have seen consolidation instead of competition. Where there were once 10 phone companies now there are but a measly four. Most of us have only two choices for Internet access and both are enormous companies. Our government has remained silent, if not complicit, as this consolidation has occurred. The FCC and Department of Justice have approved merger after merger, each of which reduced -- not encouraged -- competition.

Remember, today's "new" AT&T (which, not incidentally, has given over $1.8 million to Republican candidates) is really SBC, which, before it took over that telecom giant, gobbled up Ameritech, Pacific Bell, Bell South, and Cingular, among others. It's noteworthy that these companies originated as regulated utilities, charged with the rights and responsibilities of providing a public good. Yet today the regulators, instead of protecting the citizens of this country, protect and abet the companies that are eliminating consumer choice through voracious mergers.

Here at Working Assets, (where we offer long distance and mobile services) we believe in a free exchange of ideas, without the fear of Big Brother poised to pounce and terminate service. Unlike AT&T's corporate thought-control, we encourage free speech through member activism. We believe in the right to privacy. And we are active in lobbying to uphold net neutrality. In 2006, we generated more than 56,000 messages to the Senate in support of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2006, and sent 20,000 messages to AOL in opposition to their proposed fees for preferential Internet service.

I leave you with one unsettling question. How does AT&T find out if we're writing e-mails that are "damaging their name? " Are they now tracking our in-boxes? If you read this and use AT&T for your Internet service, why not give this a try: e-mail this article to a friend. It's the most subversive thing AT&T thinks you can do.

Comments

[rlehman]

Since AT&T gobbled up BellSouth I've been trying to find a way to convince my husband to switch phone companies. This post did the trick. Thanks.

[ProgThink61]

Laura, Laura, Laura, when oh when will Working Assets become an Internet Service Provider?! I have been a Working Assets member since way back when cellular technology was just a gleam in Ben Cohen's eye, and I've stuck with you guys because I am in love with you and all you stand for (and all those Ben & Jerry's coupons didn't hurt, though now that I'm vegetarian going vegan it's a bit different - thank "god" for creating sorbet), but wireless, obsolete land line long distance, and a great blog are not enough - we (Working Assets members) want Internet Service so we can abandon the companies like AT&T (oh, I do hope they're not reading this!) and Comcast.

Please help!!!

Oh yes, thanks for the note you mailed me about the Working Assets credit card, but I keep applying and you guys won't let me have one - something about a pesky Chapter 7 I filed back in '98. Soon, I guess, give me another year, okay?

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

IN BY DOING THIS, I BELIEVE ATT KNOWS SOMETHING WE DONT.
WHY WOULD THEY DISGRACE THEIR NAME WITH THIS MEDIA FRENZY OVER THEIR TERMS OF SERVICE (WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN INTEGRATED) WHEN A CURRENT BILL IS BEING FORMED TO ALLOW FOR PROSECUTION OF WIRETAPPING?
WHY, WHEN THEY ARE NOT OUT FROM UNDER ANYTHING HAVE THEY DONE THESE DAMAGING THINGS TO THEIR REPUTATION?
SOMETHING IS AFOOT.
THINGS ARE MOVING TOO FAST.

[FogBelter]

Just another reason to push hard for free wireless access for internet users, as has been in the works in San Francisco.

AT&T is not required for internet access.

[DoctorL]

I dropped AT&T as my long distance provider when word first surfaced about their enabling Bush crime. Why would any of us continue to use their service?

[realitytrumpsbull]

And they say it only happens in China...'they' say a lot of things, these days...

[Apples]

As an ex-employee of this sad company I am only too aware of its attitude.

Whenever a decision from the top was handed down, and the employees had a meeting to challenge the decision, we were constantly reminded that this was not a democracy. Obviously, that dictatorial attitude has now stretched to customers.

AT&T has now joined the long list of names that have abused the freedoms of this democracy that allowed them to conduct business in the first place.

The very day I walked out, every single item that contained the AT&T logo in my home found its way to the trash.

[mrbadmood]

When news first broke of AT&T's intent to invoke prior restraint of free speech via their new service agreement, my reaction was to switch ISPs.

For years, I had been a satisfied Bellsouth customer before the AT&T behemoth swallowed it up, but under the circumstances I can hardly say I'm sorry to have left all those years as a loyal, paying customer behind.

If you want to send a message to AT&T that it will hear loud and clear, and are able to do so, vote with your feet. Vote with your money. Nothing would serve AT&T better than a mass walkout of the customer base that it evidently assumes is too stupid and docile to do anything but just shut up and buy.