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Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2021 10:09 am
by dfischler
Hello, long time satisfied customer here. It has come to my attention that AT&T, which you use for fiber optics, which means WE use it, is funding OAN, which spreads white supremacist propaganda, conspiracy theories, and COVID-19 misinformation. This does not seem like the type of organization Sonic should be in partnership with.

Please think hard about this, and let your users know your position on this and what you plan to do about it.

Attached is a petition from MoveOn if anyone wishes to sign it. I encourage you to do so:

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/get-a ... ce=mo&t=13

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:19 am
by jayelleff
I came here to post the same thing. Besides the white supremacist propaganda, conspiracy theories, and COVID-19 misinformation mentioned by the OP, OAN (which Reuters reports[0] gets 90% of its funding from AT&T) has consistently supported the 1/6 insurrectionists, with one of its hosts reportedly[1] calling for mass executions of Americans based on false claims of election fraud.

Furthermore, AT&T regularly makes sizable donations to politicians promoting regressive and authoritarian agendas. For example, according to reporting[2] about Texas's recently enacted near-total abortion ban, "AT&T was the single largest corporate donor to Texas lawmakers who sponsored or cosponsored Senate Bill 8." For another example, AT&T's donations are enabling widespread voter suppression efforts, not only in its home state of Texas[3] but nationwide; in a study titled "The Corporate Sponsors of Voter Suppression" published earlier this year, the advocacy group Public Citizen found[4] that AT&T topped the list.

Like the OP, I am a long time satisfied customer of Sonic. I'm happy to be able to patronize a locally owned business that provides great service. But I am extremely uncomfortable with any portion of my monthly subscriber fees being used to subsidize a political agenda aimed at restricting abortion rights, promoting COVID disinformation resulting in more needless deaths, increasing voter suppression, encouraging political violence, and undermining our democracy.

I echo the OP in urging Sonic to let your users know your position on this and what you plan to do about it.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/investigates/sp ... erica-att/
[1] https://www.thedailybeast.com/oan-goes- ... tion-fraud
[2] https://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/at ... d=27081538
[3] https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/ata ... s-12059128
[4] https://www.citizen.org/article/corpora ... 0-million/

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 8:33 pm
by kenslists
Good story from Fast Company on this topic

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=O ... M18XpELA3U

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 4:39 pm
by zoetetal
I'd also like to ask if there's any way to use an alternative to AT&T in my area. I would rather not have any of my money going to AT&T while they are directly supporting OAN.

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:19 pm
by robertdavila
Wish I would have heard this before I opted into a pre-order with Sonic, I too want to leave AT&T over hearing all this about them. I think we all need an answer and Sonic's position on partnering or using AT&T, this is a hot issue and needs to be adressed.

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:40 am
by bobrk
Sadly, I think fixing this would involve breaking up AT&T and punishing them for monopolistic practices. Didn't we do this already?

In any case, in most areas, you don't have a choice. You can switch to another medium, like Comcast, but that's really out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Re: Concern about Sonic's use of AT&T

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:03 pm
by virtualmike
What are the odds that someone will find information that Comcast supports or funds a different detestable entity? What will we be asked to do then? Move to AT&T?