AT&T Broadband Lays Off 300 in Atlanta
January 4, 2001 6:27 pm EST
ATLANTA (Reuters) - AT&T Broadband, a unit of AT&T Corp. (T.N), the biggest U.S. long-distance and cable TV company, said on Thursday it was laying off 300 workers in the Atlanta area to cut costs.
Reg Griffin, an AT&T Broadband spokesman, said the job cuts -- which are about one sixth of the work force -- were part of a restructuring taken to cut costs.
"We did a comprehensive review and determined that we really were not in the best position to compete in what has become a very competitive marketplace," Griffin said.
AT&T Broadband has about 1,800 employees in Atlanta. Many of the trimmed positions were field technician and call-center jobs, Griffin said. But he also said the company was adding some customer-service jobs.
In Atlanta, AT&T Broadband is the metro area's largest cable provider, serving nearly 600,000 homes.
The cable company announced earlier this week that it was raising its rates, mostly on its standard television package, by an average of 4.8 percent nationwide.
The company cited rising costs and investments in customer service for the rate boost, which it said would take effect in a month.
AT&T shares rose 7/8, or 4 percent, to $21 on Thursday in New York Stock Exchange trading.
AT&T get the hell out of cable, & go back to phone....
There are 0 replies to this message
