AT&T Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies

John Stankey, president and chief operating officer of AT&T—and chief executive officer of WarnerMedia—speaks onstage at HBO Max WarnerMedia Investor Day Presentation at Warner Bros. Studios on Oct. 29, 2019 in Burbank, Calif.

Presley Ann—Getty Images for WarnerMedia

By Peter Allen Clark

April 26, 2021 9:48 PM EDT

High-speed Internet was already essential to modern American life even before the pandemic’s shift to Zoom meetings and remote classes. But not everyone has a fast hookup: at least 20 million people in the U.S. do not have access to basic broadband Internet. In April, AT&T CEO John Stankey announced a $2 billion pledge to help bridge the divide by offering more affordable broadband and expanding discounted wireless solutions to schools. The announcement builds upon a move from March of last year, when AT&T temporarily removed data caps for household Internet.

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