This merger is a logical next step that creates substantial value for customers and stockholders of both AT&T and BellSouth. It will benefit customers through new services and expanded service capabilities.

AT&T will not block access to the public Internet or degrade service, period.

There's been a lot of talk about this in order to scare people into thinking that access to the Internet is somehow at risk, or that the Internet as we know it is a thing of the past. AT&T will not block anyone's access to the public Internet, nor will we degrade anyone's quality of service.

It's a realization that the world is changing and it's changing faster and faster. We saw that the sooner we did this, the better off we'd be.

We literally have hundreds of competitors coming in every day; it's nothing like the old days. If we're going to have the strength to compete, we better get our companies together.

This merger is a logical next step.