AT&T Mulls Upgrading Rural Lines Instead of Selling Them
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AT&T Inc. Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about using new broadband technology to wring more value from rural phone lines, backing away from a plan to sell them off.
The company aims to use an enhanced version of digital subscriber line technology to speed up Internet access in rural areas, Stephenson said today at an investment conference hosted by Sanford C. Bernstein. AT&T had targeted the lines as an asset it could offload, though he said today that a deal would face regulatory hurdles and require multiple state approvals.