AT & T And The Telecommunication Industry

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Communication is a basic, yet crucial part of everyday society. For years, the telecommunications industry has changed the way we connect and communication with others beginning with telegraphs and telephones. The industry adapts extremely well with the evolution of technologies to keep up with consumer demand and to continue to serve a purpose in the innovative world market. Whether it be the telegraph or telephone, the telecommunications industry is now facing a new issue and is changing to adapt. Currently, the telecommunications market is looking to expand and shift to the entertainment and media industries to keep up with ever-changing technology. AT&T, short for American Telegraph and Telephone, was founded as a telecommunications company, however, the company is attempting to merge with Time Warner Inc. to have a stake in mass media and entertainment.
The shift in the telecom industry is crucial for companies like AT&T to remain relevant in the industry because technology is forcing this shift and companies must be able to keep up with consumer demand. This topic is important because consumers have had trouble accessing media and entertainment platforms due to the lack of technology and issues of content ownership from either their telecommunications or cable …show more content…

Mobile devices were going to be key to the shift in the telecom industry, but AT&T needed to be looking at mass media and entertainment companies, not another telecom company. In 2011, the Department of Justice stated that they planned to block the merger, citing anti-trust laws as the reason they would not support the acquisition. Specifically, the government saw this merger as being anti-competitive in the market similar to rationale behind the historical break-up of Southwestern