Hot off the press! It’s a strong name and it’s a strong brand - AT&T it is!

SBC Communications Inc. announced plans to adopt the AT&T name following approval and close of its historic merger with AT&T, which is expected late this year. San Antonio and all of Texas is smiling a broad smile this morning at the news!

With the merger, SBC/AT&T - or AT&T now will grow into an internationally known and respected company of over 200,000 employees - and they will be headquartered in Texas! San Antonio to be exact - and that is why I am smiling today!

The new company, AT&T, will be ever more strengthened to convey "the new company's diverse capabilities, commitment to reliability, quality and integrity, and its passion to deliver meaningful innovation and unsurpassed customer care." Everything that SBC already stands for in thier current markets will be projected and amplified throughout the world.

SBC has proven that their proactive and exciting methods of philanthropy can and will help integrate technology into the nonprofit community across the country by simplifying and streamlining methods of doing business.

The mission of the SBC Foundation, presided over by President Laura Sanford in San Antonio, clearly states, "The SBC Foundation's mission is technology driven and is focused on enhancing lives through improved education and economic growth."

The AT&T Foundation will merge nicely - their mission is to:”
Educate - We believe technology is a powerful tool to engage lifelong learning.
Enrich - We support the arts and culture to enrich lives and foster creativity and diversity.
Empower - We give communities the resources they need to help them accomplish great things.
Engage - Our employees are engaged in every facet of volunteerism.”

SBC has a powerful Pioneers Group headed by Gloria Delgado. AT&T has a Pioneer Program as well. The two volunteer based efforts will have the ability to make huge differences for nonprofits across the world.

The AT&T brand is an American business icon and far and away the most recognized communications brand in the United States, as well as around the globe.

This decision is a milestone in the communications industry, enabling the brand that is inextricably linked to the birth and growth of the telecommunications industry to remain at the forefront of a new era of integrated communications and entertainment services.

The AT&T brand has a proud, 120-year heritage, making it ideal to represent the new company’s passion to deliver meaningful innovation and unsurpassed customer care, diverse capabilities, and commitment to reliability, quality and integrity.

Moving forward, the combined company will continue to strengthen the AT&T brand as it sets the standard for a new generation of IP-based services, giving consumers and businesses anytime, anywhere access to communications and entertainment over virtually any device. The objective is to make the new AT&T synonymous with innovative, high-quality, integrated voice, data and videoservices.

The merger will bring together a range of complementary capabilities and strengths to position the new AT&T for the 21st century:

SBC

- Broadband capabilities, local service with more than 50 million access lines and dense local access network capabilities to deliver voice and data services to consumers and businesses of all sizes.
- Nationwide wireless coverage through Cingular Wireless, which has more than 52 million subscribers across the country. SBC owns 60 percent of Cingular.

AT&T

- The world’s most advanced and powerful communications backbone network and software infrastructure to meet the sophisticated data communication needs of large businesses with multiple locations.
- A global reach that spans more than 60 countries around the world.

In the weeks and months following completion of the merger, customers will see the new AT&T brand and logo on bills and correspondence, products and services, as well as on buildings housing the combined company’s facilities. The transition to the new brand will be strongly promoted in the weeks after the merger’s completion with the largest multimedia advertising and marketing campaign in either company’s history. The SBC brand will play an important role in this transitional process.

There is unprecedented opportunity to continue and expand the storied heritage of the AT&T brand. Most importantly, consumers and businesses will benefit from the new era of communications and entertainment that the combination of SBC and AT&T companies will enable.

-Much of this information came from the SBC website at www.sbc.com - you might wish to explore www.att.com as well. Visit our TexasNonprofits Blog too - it's called the Socially Responsible Salon and may be found at http://www.txnp.org/Salon.html.