One of the largest providers of landline telephones, mobile phone service, Internet, and cable in the United States. It traces its origins to the Bell Telephone Company, established by Alexander Graham Bell in 1875. By the second decade of the 20th century, it was approaching near
monopoly status over the telephone industry. In 1913, it agreed to
acquire no more competitors without the approval of the
Interstate Commerce Commission. In 1982, it was ruled that AT&T was engaging in
anti-competitive activities, and the company was forced to
divest itself of many of its
assets. In 2005, the company was acquired by one of its former
subsidiaries, which took the name AT&T. It presently controls much of what it originally did before the monopoly settlement. See also:
Baby Bell.