T, §1A diff (2021 → 2022)

Adverse changes in the U.S. securities markets, interest rates and medical costs could materially increase our benefit plan costs and future funding requirements.

Our costs to provide current benefits and funding for future benefits are subject to increases, primarily due to continuing increases in medical and prescription drug costs, and can be affected by lower returns on assets held by our pension and other benefit plans, which are reflected in our financial statements for that year. In calculating the recognized benefit costs, we have made certain assumptions regarding future investment returns, interest rates and medical costs. These assumptions could change significantly over time and could be materially different than originally projected. Lower than assumed investment returns, a decline in interest rates with a corresponding increase in our benefit obligations, and higher than assumed medical and prescription drug costs will increase expenses.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board requires companies to recognize the funded status of defined benefit pension and postretirement plans as an asset or liability in their statement of financial position and to recognize changes in that funded status in the year in which the changes occur. We have elected to reflect the annual adjustments to the funded status in our consolidated statement of income. Therefore, an increase in our costs or adverse market conditions will have a negative effect on our operating results.

Significant adverse changes in capital markets could result in the deterioration of our defined benefit plans’ funded status and result in increased contribution requirements for such plans, which could be material.

As a provider of telecommunications and technology services, we sell handsets, wireless data cards, wireless computing devices and customer premises equipment manufactured by various suppliers for use with our voice and data services and depend on suppliers to provide us, directly or through other suppliers, with items such as network equipment, customer premises equipment, and wireless-related equipment such as mobile hotspots, handsets, wirelessly enabled computers, wireless data cards and other connected devices for our customers. In 2021 and the early part of 2022, the costs of these inputs and the costs of labor necessary to develop and maintain our networks and our products and services have rapidly increased. In addition, many of these inputs are subject to price fluctuations from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, demand for raw materials used in the production of these devices and network components, weather, climate change, energy costs, currency fluctuations, supplier capacities, governmental actions, import and export requirements (including tariffs), and other factors beyond our control. Although we are unable to predict the impact on our ability to source materials in the future, we expect these supply pressures to continue into 2022. We also expect the pressures of input cost inflation to continue into 2022.

Our attempts to offset these cost pressures, such as through increases in the selling prices of some of our products and services, may not be successful. Higher product prices may result in reductions in sales volume. Consumers may be less willing to pay a price differential for our products and may increasingly purchase lower-priced offerings, or may forego some purchases altogether, during an economic downturn. To the extent that price increases are not sufficient to offset these increased costs adequately or in a timely manner, and/or if they result in significant decreases in sales volume, our business, financial condition or operating results may be adversely affected. Furthermore, we may not be able to offset any cost increases through productivity and cost-saving initiatives.

During 2021, uncertainty surrounding global growth rates and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continued to produce volatility in the credit, currency and equity markets. Volatility may affect companies’ access to the credit markets, leading to higher borrowing costs, or, in some cases, the inability to fund ongoing operations. In addition, we contract with large financial institutions to support our own treasury operations, including contracts to hedge our exposure on interest rates and foreign exchange and the funding of credit lines and other short-term debt obligations, including commercial paper. These financial institutions face stricter capital-related and other regulations in the United States and Europe, as well as ongoing legal and financial issues concerning their loan portfolios, which may hamper their ability to provide credit or raise the cost of providing such credit.

The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, has announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR in 2023. Although our securities may provide for alternative methods of calculating the interest rate payable on such indebtedness, uncertainty as to the extent and manner of future changes may adversely affect the current trading market for LIBOR-based securities and the value of variable rate indebtedness in general. A company’s cost of borrowing is also affected by evaluations given by various credit rating agencies and these agencies have been applying tighter credit standards when evaluating debt levels and future growth prospects. While we have been successful in continuing to access the credit and fixed income markets when needed, adverse changes in the financial markets could render us either unable to access these markets or able to access these markets only at higher interest costs and with restrictive financial or other conditions, severely affecting our business operations. Additionally, downgrades of our credit rating by the major credit rating agencies could increase our cost of borrowing and also impact the collateral we would be required to post under certain agreements we have entered into with our derivative counterparties, which could negatively impact our liquidity. Further, valuation changes in our derivative portfolio due to interest rates and foreign exchange rates could require us to post collateral and thus may negatively impact our liquidity.

Our international operations have increased our exposure to political instability, to changes in the international economy and to the level of regulation on our business and these risks could offset our expected growth opportunities.

We have international operations, including in Mexico, and worldwide through WarnerMedia’s content distribution. We need to comply with a wide variety of complex local laws, regulations and treaties. We are exposed to restrictions on cash repatriation, foreign exchange controls, fluctuations in currency values, changes in relationships between U.S. and foreign governments, trade restrictions including potential tariffs, differences in intellectual property protection laws, and other regulations that may affect materially our earnings. Our Mexico operations, in particular, rely on a continuation of a regulatory regime that fosters competition. While our foreign operations represent significant opportunities to sell our services, a number of foreign countries where we operate have experienced unstable growth patterns, increased inflation, currency devaluation, foreign exchange controls, instability in the banking sector and high unemployment. Should these conditions persist, our ability to offer service in one or more countries could be adversely affected and customers in these countries may be unable to purchase the services we offer or pay for services already provided.

In addition, operating in foreign countries also typically involves participating with local businesses, either to comply with local laws or, for example, to enhance product marketing, deploy networks or execute on other capital projects. Involvement with foreign firms exposes us to the risk of being unable to control the actions of those firms and therefore exposes us to risks associated with our obligation to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Violations of the FCPA could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Our business is subject to risks arising from the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting mitigation measures have caused, and may continue to cause, a negative effect on our operating results. At the onset in 2020, mitigation measures caused sports leagues to modify their seasons and suspend certain operations, which adversely affected our advertising revenues and, resulted in contract disputes concerning carriage rights that caused us to incur expenses relating to certain of these sporting events notwithstanding their cancellation. The closure or avoidance of theaters, and the interruptions in movie production and other programming caused by COVID-19 are expected to continue to impact the timing of revenues and may cause a loss of revenue to our WarnerMedia business over the long term. The COVID-19 pandemic also drove higher costs for our WarnerMedia business in 2021 based on the hybrid distribution model for releasing films in 2021 and costs associated with safety measures put in place to help provide a safe environment for content production. If the mitigation measures or the associated effects are prolonged, we expect business customers in industries most significantly impacted will continue to reduce or terminate services, having a negative effect on the performance of our Business Wireline business unit. Further, concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic could again result in the closure of many of our retail stores, temporarily or permanently, and deter customers from accessing our stores even as the pandemic subsides. These pandemic concerns may also result in continued impact to our customers’ ability to pay for our products and services. We may also continue to see significant impact on roaming revenues due to a downturn in international travel. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused and could further cause reduced staffing levels at our call centers and field operations, resulting in delays in service. Further reductions in staffing levels could additionally limit our ability to provide services, adversely impacting our competitive position. We may also incur significantly higher expenses attributable to infrastructure investments required to meet higher network utilization from more customers consuming bandwidth from changes in work from home trends; extended cancellation periods; and increased labor costs if the COVID-19 pandemic continues for an extended period.

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The COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation measures have caused, and may continue to cause, adverse impacts on global economic conditions and consumer confidence, spending and consumer behavior, which could affect demand for our products and services. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning other strains of the virus and the actions to contain its impact. Due to the speed with which the situation continues to develop and change, we are not able at this time to estimate the additional impact of COVID-19 on our financial or operational results, but the impact could be material.

Our subsidiaries providing wired services are subject to significant federal and state regulation while many of our competitors are not. In addition, our subsidiaries and affiliates operating outside the United States are also subject to the jurisdiction of national and supranational regulatory authorities in the market where service is provided. Our wireless and various video subsidiaries are regulated to varying degrees by the FCC and in some instances, by state and local agencies. Adverse regulations and rulings by the FCC relating to broadband and wireless deployment could impede our ability to manage our networks and recover costs and lessen incentives to invest in our networks. The continuing growth of IP-based services, especially when accessed by wireless devices, has created or potentially could create conflicting regulation between the FCC and various state and local authorities, which may involve lengthy litigation to resolve and may result in outcomes unfavorable to us. In addition, in response to the FAA questioning whether our 5G C-band launch could impact radio altimeter equipment on airplanes, we voluntarily committed to a series of temporary, precautionary measures, in addition to deferring turning on a limited number of towers around certain airports to allow the FAA more time to evaluate. The FAA’s continued evaluation may impact our planned 5G C-band launch in certain areas. In addition, increased public focus on a variety of issues related to our operations, such as privacy issues, government requests or orders for customer data, and concerns about global climate changes, have led to proposals or new legislation at state, federal and foreign government levels to change or increase regulation on our operations. Enactment of new privacy laws and regulations could, among other things, adversely affect our ability to collect and offer targeted advertisements or result in additional costs of compliance or litigation. Should customers decide that our competitors offer a more customer-friendly environment, our competitive position, results of operations or financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Extreme weather events precipitated by long-term climate change have the potential to directly damage network facilities or disrupt our ability to build and maintain portions of our network and could potentially disrupt suppliers’ ability to provide products and services required to provide reliable network coverage. Any such disruption could delay network deployment plans, interrupt service for our customers, increase our costs and have a negative effect on our operating results. The potential physical effects of climate change, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, fires, freezing conditions, sea-level rise, and other climate-related events, could adversely affect our operations, infrastructure, and financial results. Operational impacts resulting from the potential physical effects of climate change, such as damage to our network infrastructure, could result in increased costs and loss of revenue. We could incur significant costs to improve the climate resiliency of our infrastructure and otherwise prepare for, respond to, and mitigate such physical effects of climate change. We are not able to accurately predict the materiality of any potential losses or costs associated with the physical effects of climate change.

Further, customers, consumers, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focusing on environmental issues, including climate change, water use, deforestation, plastic waste, and other sustainability concerns. Concern over climate change or other environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters may result in new or increased legal and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate impacts to the environment and reduce the impact of our business on climate change. Further, climate change regulations may require us to alter our proposed business plans or increase our operating costs due to increased regulation or environmental considerations, and could adversely affect our business and reputation.

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Wireless and broadband services are undergoing rapid and significant technological changes and a dramatic increase in usage, in particular, the demand for faster and seamless usage of data, including video, across mobile and fixed devices. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these changes and also resulted in higher network utilization, as more customers consume bandwidth from changes in work from home trends. We must continually invest in our networks in order to improve our wireless and broadband services to meet this increasing demand and changes in customer expectations, while remaining competitive. Improvements in these services depend on many factors, including continued access to and deployment of adequate spectrum and the capital needed to expand our wireline network to support transport of these services. In order to stem broadband subscriber losses to cable competitors in our non-fiber wireline areas, we have been expanding our all-fiber wireline network. We must maintain and expand our network capacity and coverage for transport of data, including video, and voice between cell and fixed landline sites. To this end, we participate in spectrum auctions and continue to deploy software and other technology advancements in order to efficiently invest in our network.

Network service enhancements and product launches may not occur as scheduled or at the cost expected due to many factors, including delays in determining equipment and wireless handset operating standards, supplier delays, software issues, increases in network and handset component costs, regulatory permitting delays for tower sites or enhancements, or labor-related delays. Deployment of new technology also may adversely affect the performance of the network for existing services. If we cannot acquire needed spectrum or deploy the services customers desire on a timely basis with acceptable quality and at reasonable costs, then our ability to attract and retain customers, and, therefore, maintain and improve our operating margins, could be materially adversely affected.

We have multiple wireless competitors in each of our service areas and compete for customers based principally on service/device offerings, price, network quality, coverage area and customer service. In addition, we are facing growing competition from providers offering services using advanced wireless technologies and IP-based networks. We expect market saturation to continue to cause the wireless industry’s customer growth rate to moderate in comparison with historical growth rates, leading to increased competition for customers. Our share of industry sales could be reduced due to aggressive pricing strategies pursued by competitors. We also expect that our customers’ growing demand for high-speed video and data services will place constraints on our network capacity. These competition and capacity constraints will continue to put pressure on pricing and margins as companies compete for potential customers. Our ability to respond will depend, among other things, on continued improvement in network quality and customer service and our ability to price our products and services competitively as well as effective marketing of attractive products and services. These efforts will involve significant expenses and require strategic management decisions on, and timely implementation of, equipment choices, network deployment and service offerings.

Intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by piracy or be inadequate to take advantage of business opportunities, such as new distribution platforms, which may materially adversely affect our operations.

Increased piracy of video content, products and other intellectual property, particularly in our foreign WarnerMedia operations, will decrease revenues. Technological developments have made it easier to reproduce and distribute high-quality unauthorized copies of content. Piracy is particularly prevalent in countries that lack effective copyright and other legal protections or enforcement measures and thieves can attract users throughout the world. Effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country where we operate. We may need to spend significant amounts of money to protect our rights. We are also increasingly negotiating broader licensing agreements to expand our ability to use new methods to distribute content to customers. Any impairment of our intellectual property rights, including due to changes in U.S. or foreign intellectual property laws or the absence of effective legal protections or enforcement measures, or our inability to negotiate broader distribution rights, could materially adversely impact our operations.

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We believe that our brand image, awareness and reputation strengthen our relationship with consumers and contribute significantly to the success of our business. We strive to create a culture in which our colleagues act with integrity and respect and feel comfortable speaking up to report instances of misconduct or other concerns. Our ability to attract and retain employees is highly dependent upon our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace, ethical business practices and other qualities. Acts of misconduct by any employee, and particularly by senior management, could erode trust and confidence and damage our reputation. Negative public opinion could result from actual or alleged conduct by us or those currently or formerly associated with us, and from any number of activities or circumstances, including operations, employment-related offenses (such as sexual harassment and discrimination), regulatory compliance and actions taken by regulators or others in response to such conduct. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, named as a defendant in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business based on alleged acts of misconduct by employees. These actions seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury (including claims for loss of life), workers’ compensation, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace misconduct, wage and hour claims and other employment-related damages, compensation for breach of contract, statutory or regulatory claims, negligence or gross negligence, punitive damages, consequential damages, and civil penalties or other losses or injunctive or declaratory relief. The outcome of any allegations, lawsuits, claims or legal proceedings is inherently uncertain and could result in significant costs, damage to our brands or reputation and diversion of management’s attention from our business. Additionally, our news organization makes editorial judgments around what is covered and how it is covered in the normal course of business. Although we have disciplined practices that are used to make such editorial judgments, it is possible that our news coverage alienates some consumers, adversely impacts our reputation and therefore impacts demand for our other products and services. Any damage to our reputation or payments of significant amounts, even if reserved, could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Adoption of new software-based technologies may involve quality and supply chain issues and could increase capital costs.

The communications and digital entertainment industry has experienced rapid changes in the past several years. An increasing number of our customers are using mobile devices as the primary means of viewing video and an increasing number of nontraditional video providers are developing content and technologies to satisfy the desire for video entertainment demand. In addition, businesses and government bodies are broadly shifting to wireless-based services for homes and infrastructure to improve services to their respective customers and constituencies. We have spent, and continue to spend, significant capital to shift our wired network to software-based technology to manage this demand and are expanding 5G wireless technology to address these consumer demands. We are entering into a significant number of software licensing agreements and working with software developers to provide network functions in lieu of installing switches or other physical network equipment in order to respond to rapid developments in video and wireless demand. While software-based functionality can be changed much more quickly than, for example, physical switches, the rapid pace of development means that we may increasingly need to rely on single-source and software solutions that have not previously been deployed in production environments. Should this software not function as intended or our license agreements provide inadequate protection from intellectual property infringement claims, we could be forced to either substitute (if available) or else spend time to develop alternative technologies at a much higher cost and incur harm to our reputation for reliability, and, as a result, our ability to remain competitive could be materially adversely affected.

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We depend on suppliers to provide us, directly or through other suppliers, with items such as network equipment, customer premises equipment, and wireless-related equipment such as mobile hotspots, handsets, wirelessly enabled computers, wireless data cards and other connected devices for our customers. These suppliers could fail to provide equipment on a timely basis, or fail to meet our performance expectations, for a number of reasons, including difficulties in obtaining export licenses for certain technologies, inability to secure component parts, general business disruption, natural disasters, safety issues, economic and political instability and public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and may again cause, delays in the development, manufacturing (including the sourcing of key components) and shipment of products. In certain limited circumstances, suppliers have been unable to supply products in a timely fashion. In such limited circumstances, we have been unable to provide products and services precisely as and when requested by our customers. It is possible that, in some circumstances, we could be forced to switch to a different key supplier. Because of the cost and time lag that can be associated with transitioning from one supplier to another, our business could be substantially disrupted if we were required to, or chose to, replace the products of one or more key suppliers with products from another source, especially if the replacement became necessary on short notice. Any such disruption could increase our costs, decrease our operating efficiencies and have a negative effect on our operating results.

Increasing costs to provide services and failure to renew agreements on favorable terms or at all, could adversely affect operating margins.

A number of our competitors offering comparable legacy services that rely on alternative technologies and business models are typically subject to less (or no) regulation, and therefore are able to operate with lower costs. These competitors generally can focus on discrete customer segments since they do not have regulatory obligations to provide universal service. Also, these competitors have cost advantages compared to us, due in part to operating on newer, more technically advanced and lower-cost networks with a nonunionized workforce, lower employee benefits and fewer retirees. We are transitioning services from our old copper-based network and seeking regulatory approvals, where needed, at both the state and federal levels. If we do not obtain regulatory approvals for our network transition or obtain approvals with onerous conditions, we could experience significant cost and competitive disadvantages.

Our WarnerMedia operations, which create and license content to other providers, may experience increasing difficulties securing favorable terms, including those related to pricing, positioning and packaging, during contract negotiations, which may lead to blackouts of WarnerMedia programming, and WarnerMedia may face greater difficulty in achieving placement of its networks and premium pay television services in offerings by third parties.

We may not realize or sustain the expected benefits from our business transformation initiatives, and these efforts could have a materially adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations and competitive position.

We have been and will be undertaking certain transformation initiatives, which are designed to reduce costs, streamline and modernize distribution and customer service, remove redundancies and simplify and improve processes and support functions. Our focus is on supporting added customer value with an improved customer experience. We intend for these efficiencies to enable increased investments in our strategic areas of focus, which consist of improving broadband connectivity (for example, fiber and 5G), developing software-based entertainment (such as HBO Max) and utilizing WarnerMedia’s storytelling legacy to engage consumers and gain insights across multiple distribution points. We also expect these initiatives to drive efficiencies and improved margins. If we do not successfully manage and execute these initiatives, or if they are inadequate or ineffective, we may fail to meet our financial goals and achieve anticipated benefits, improvements may be delayed, not sustained or not realized, and our business, operations and competitive position could be adversely affected.

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If our efforts to attract and retain subscribers to our HBO Max platform and to develop compelling choices are not successful, our business will be adversely affected.

HBO Max’s future success is subject to inherent uncertainty. Our ability to continue to attract subscribers to the HBO Max platform will depend in part on our ability to consistently provide subscribers with compelling content choices, as well as a quality experience for selecting and viewing those content choices. Furthermore, the relative service levels, content offerings, promotions, and pricing and related features of competitors to HBO Max may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain subscribers. If consumers do not perceive our offerings to be of value, including if we introduce new or adjust existing features, adjust pricing or offerings, terminate or modify promotional or trial period offerings, experience technical issues, or change the mix of content in a manner that is not favorably received by them, we may not be able to attract and retain subscribers. In addition, many subscribers to these types of offerings originate from word-of-mouth advertising from then existing subscribers. If our efforts to satisfy subscribers are not successful, including because we terminate or modify promotional or trial-period offerings or because of technical issues with the platform, we may not be able to attract or retain subscribers, and as a result, our ability to maintain and/or grow our business will be adversely affected.

If subscribers cancel or decide to not continue subscriptions for any reason, including a perception that they do not use it sufficiently, the need to cut household expenses, unsatisfactory availability of content, promotions or trial-period offers expire or are modified, competitive services or promotions provide a better value or experience, and customer service or technical issues are not satisfactorily resolved, our business will be adversely affected. We must continually add new subscribers both to replace canceled subscribers and to grow our business. If we do not grow as expected, given, in particular, that a significant portion of our content costs are committed and contracted over several years based on minimum subscriber delivery levels, we may not be able to adjust our expenditures or increase our (per subscriber) revenues commensurate with the lowered growth rate such that our margins, liquidity and results of operations may be adversely impacted. If we are unable to successfully compete with competitors in retaining and attracting new subscribers, our business will be adversely affected. Further, if excessive numbers of subscribers do cancel, we may be required to incur significantly higher marketing expenditures or offer significantly more generous promotions to replace these subscribers with new subscribers.

We are subject to a number of lawsuits both in the United States and in foreign countries, including, at any particular time, claims relating to antitrust; patent infringement; wage and hour; personal injury; customer privacy violations; regulatory proceedings; and selling and collection practices. We also spend substantial resources complying with various government standards, which may entail related investigations and litigation. In the wireless area, we also face current and potential litigation relating to alleged adverse health effects on customers or employees who use such technologies including, for example, wireless devices. We may incur significant expenses defending such suits or government charges and may be required to pay amounts or otherwise change our operations in ways that could materially adversely affect our operations or financial results.

Cyberattacks, equipment failures, natural disasters and terrorist acts may materially adversely affect our operations.

Cyberattacks, major equipment failures or natural disasters, such as flooding, hurricanes and forest fires, whether caused by discrete severe weather events and/or precipitated by long-term climate change and earthquakes, software problems, data and privacy breaches, terrorist acts or other breaches of network or IT security that affect our networks, including software and switches, microwave links, third-party-owned local and long-distance networks on which we rely, our cell sites or other equipment, our satellites, our customer account support and information systems, or employee and business records could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Our wired network in particular is becoming increasingly reliant on software as it evolves to handle increasing demands for video transmission. While we have been subject to security incidents or cyberattacks, these did not result in a material adverse effect on our operations. However, as such attacks continue to increase in scope and frequency, we may be unable to prevent a significant attack in the future. Our inability to deploy or operate our networks or customer support systems or protect sensitive personal information of customers or employees or valuable technical and marketing information could result in significant expenses, potential legal liability, a loss of current or future customers and reputation damage, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.

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Our business may be impacted by changes in tax laws and regulations, judicial interpretations of same or administrative actions by federal, state, local and foreign taxing authorities.

Tax laws are dynamic and subject to change as new laws are passed and new interpretations of the law are issued or applied. In many cases, the application of existing, newly enacted or amended tax laws (such as the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017) may be uncertain and subject to differing interpretations, especially when evaluated against ever changing products and services provided by our global telecommunications, media, and technology businesses. In addition, tax legislation has been introduced or is being considered in various jurisdictions that could significantly impact our tax rate, tax liabilities, and carrying value of deferred tax assets or deferred tax liabilities. Any of these changes could materially impact our financial performance and our tax provision, net income and cash flows.

The proposed separation and combination of our WarnerMedia business with Discovery may not be completed on the currently contemplated timeline or at all.

On May 17, 2021, we announced a definitive agreement with Discovery, Inc. (Discovery) to combine our WarnerMedia business with Discovery (the “WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction”), which, if consummated, would result in our stockholders owning 71% of the combined company’s Discovery’s outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis (computed using the treasury stock method). The WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022, subject to certain customary closing conditions including, among others, the approval of Discovery’s stockholders, the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and the finalization of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to the effect that the separation of the WarnerMedia business and certain related transactions will qualify for tax-free treatment under the Internal Revenue Code (the “Private Letter Ruling”).

There can be no assurance that such closing conditions will be satisfied or waived, or that the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction will be consummated. Required regulatory approvals may not be received in a timely manner or at all. Further, while we have entered into voting agreements with certain stockholders of Discovery representing, in the aggregate, approximately 43% of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of Discovery capital stock as of May 14, 2021, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote in favor of certain aspects of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, we cannot assure you that the approval of Discovery’s stockholders will be obtained. We and Discovery may be subject to shareholder lawsuits, or other actions filed in connection with or in opposition to the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, which could prevent or delay the consummation of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction.

If the distribution of WarnerMedia, together with certain related transactions, were to fail to qualify for non-recognition treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes, then we could be subject to significant tax liability.

Under the Merger Agreement, receipt of the Private Letter Ruling from the IRS is a condition to close the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction. On December 28, 2021, AT&T received a favorable Private Letter Ruling from the IRS. As long as the Private Letter Ruling continues to be in full force and effect until closing, AT&T expects that the receipt of the Private Letter Ruling satisfies the closing condition for an IRS ruling. While not anticipated, situations where a Private Letter Ruling could cease to be in full force and effect may include situations where there is a material change in applicable tax law, or a material change to the terms or structure of the transaction. Reliance on the ruling is also subject to certain facts, representations and undertakings made in connection with the request for the ruling.

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Accordingly, the IRS or another applicable tax authority could determine on audit that the distribution by us of WarnerMedia to our stockholders and certain related transactions should be treated as taxable transactions if it determines that any of these facts, representations or undertakings are incorrect or have been violated. We may be entitled to indemnification from Discovery in the case of certain breaches of representations or undertakings by Discovery under the tax matters agreement related to the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction. However, we could potentially be required to pay such tax prior to reimbursement from Discovery, and such indemnification is subject to Discovery’s credit risk. If the IRS or another tax authority were to so conclude, there could be a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In addition, in the event that we are unable to effectuate a Spinco Debt Exchange, we could incur significant incremental tax liability associated with the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction. If certain conditions are met, Discovery generally will be responsible for 50% of such incremental tax liability that does not exceed $4,000. For more information regarding the Spinco Debt Exchange, refer to the risk factor titled “Even if the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction is completed, we may not realize some or all of the expected benefits of the transaction” below.

The announcement and pendency of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction could cause disruptions in our business.

The WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction will require significant amounts of time and effort, which could divert management’s attention from operating, growing our business and other strategic endeavors. Further, our employees may be distracted due to uncertainty regarding their future roles with us or the WarnerMedia business pending the consummation of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction. In the event that the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction does not close, we will be required to bear a number of non-recurring costs in connection with the transaction, including financial, legal, accounting, consulting and other advisory fees and expenses, reorganization and restructuring costs, severance/employee benefit-related expenses, regulatory and SEC filing fees and expenses, printing expenses and other related charges. Until the consummation or termination of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, we are also required to operate the WarnerMedia business in the ordinary course and we are restricted from taking certain specified actions with respect to our WarnerMedia business without Discovery’s consent. Any of the foregoing could adversely affect our operating results.

Even if the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction is completed, we may not realize some or all of the expected benefits of the transaction.

Even if the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction is completed, the anticipated operational, financial, strategic and other benefits of such transaction to the Company and our stockholders may not be achieved. There are many factors that could impact the anticipated benefits from the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, including, among others, strategic adjustments required to reflect the nature of our business following the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction and any negative reaction to the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction by our customers and business partners. In addition, we have agreed to provide certain transition services to the combined company, which may result in additional expenses and may divert our focus and resources that would otherwise be invested into maintaining or growing our businesses.

In connection with the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, we will receive approximately $43,000, subject to certain adjustments, in the form of a combination of (i) the assumption by the WarnerMedia business of certain existing debt, (ii) a cash dividend distributed to us from the WarnerMedia business (the “Spinco Special Cash Payment”), and (iii) debt instruments of the WarnerMedia business (the “Spinco Debt Distribution”). We expect to deliver such debt instruments of WarnerMedia in exchange for certain of our outstanding debt obligations (the “Spinco Debt Exchange”), and to use the proceeds of the Spinco Special Cash Payment to repay certain of our other outstanding debt obligations. This process will be complex and may require significant time and resources. Depending on various variables (such as interest rates and timing) at the time of the Spinco Debt Exchange, AT&T’s transaction costs relating to the Spinco Debt Exchange may be significantly higher than expected. Additionally, if market conditions change in advance of the Spinco Debt Exchange such that it is no longer feasible for the WarnerMedia business to issue debt securities with a fair market value at least equal to their face value, we may be required to take an additional distribution of cash from the WarnerMedia business in lieu of effecting the Spinco Debt Exchange, which could result in potentially significant incremental tax liability. If certain conditions are met, Discovery generally will be responsible for 50% of such incremental tax liability that does not exceed $4,000.

An inability to realize the full extent of the anticipated benefits of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction, as well as any delays encountered in the process, could have an adverse effect on our revenues, level of expenses and operating results.

In connection with the separation of the WarnerMedia business and the completed transaction involving our Video business unit, certain liabilities will be or were allocated to or retained by us and we will be subject to indemnification obligations in respect of those liabilities.

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In connection with the separation of the WarnerMedia business and the completed transaction involving our Video business unit (the “DTV Transaction”), we have agreed to assume or retain, and indemnify the WarnerMedia business and the Video business unit for, certain liabilities. Payments pursuant to these indemnities may be significant and could negatively impact our business, particularly indemnities relating to our actions that could impact the tax-free nature of the distribution of the WarnerMedia business. Third parties could also seek to hold us responsible for any liabilities allocated to the WarnerMedia business and the Video business unit and such third parties could seek damages, other monetary penalties (whether civil or criminal) and other remedies.

The separation of the WarnerMedia business and the Video business unit may result in an increase in our costs and expenses.

Following the consummation of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction and the DTV Transaction, we will no longer benefit from economies of scale and synergies we currently have or expected to realize between our WarnerMedia business, our Video business unit and our remaining businesses, including through intercompany arrangements and combined agreements with third parties. There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue any of these arrangements, or that any such continuing arrangements will be on the same or more favorable terms, following the separation of the WarnerMedia business and the Video business unit. Additionally, there can be no assurance that costs retained by AT&T after the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction and the DTV Transaction will be fully recovered through transition service agreements or business transformation initiatives. As a result, our costs and expenses may increase following the consummation of the WarnerMedia/Discovery Transaction and the DTV Transaction.

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•Adverse economic, political and/or capital access changes in the markets served by us or in countries in which we have significant investments and/or operations, including the impact on customer demand and our ability and our suppliers’ ability to access financial markets at favorable rates and terms.

•The final outcome of FCC and other federal, state or foreign government agency proceedings (including judicial review, if any, of such proceedings) and legislative efforts involving issues that are important to our business, including, without limitation, pending Notices of Apparent Liability; the transition from legacy technologies to IP-based infrastructure, including the withdrawal of legacy TDM-based services; universal service; broadband deployment; wireless equipment siting regulations and, in particular, siting for 5G service; E911 services; competition policy; privacy; net neutrality; multichannel video programming distributor services and equipment; content licensing and copyright protection; availability of new spectrum on fair and balanced terms; and wireless and satellite license awards and renewals.

•Potential changes to the electromagnetic spectrum currently used for broadcast television and satellite distribution being considered by the FCC could negatively impact WarnerMedia’s ability to deliver linear network feeds of its domestic cable networks to its affiliates, and in some cases, WarnerMedia’s ability to produce high-value news and entertainment programming on location.

•U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding intellectual property rights protection and privacy, personal data protection and user consent are complex and rapidly evolving and could result in adverse impacts to our business plans, increased costs, or claims against us that may harm our reputation.

•The ability of our competitors to offer product/service offerings at lower prices due to lower cost structures and regulatory and legislative actions adverse to us, including non-regulation of comparable alternative technologies and/or government-owned or subsidized networks.

•Disruption in our supply chain for a number of reasons, including, difficulties in obtaining export licenses for certain technology, inability to secure component parts, general business disruption, workforce shortage, natural disasters, safety issues, economic and political instability and public health emergencies.

•The continued development and delivery of attractive and profitable wireless, video content and broadband offerings and devices, and, in particular, the success of our HBO Max platform; the extent to which regulatory and build-out requirements apply to our offerings; our ability to match speeds offered by our competitors and the availability, cost and/or reliability of the various technologies and/or content required to provide such offerings.

•Our ability to generate subscription and advertising revenue from attractive video content, especially from WarnerMedia, in the face of unpredictable and rapidly evolving public viewing habits and legal restrictions on using personal data for advertising.

•The availability and cost and our ability to adequately fund additional wireless spectrum and network upgrades; and regulations and conditions relating to spectrum use, licensing, obtaining additional spectrum, technical standards and deployment and usage, including network management rules.

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•The impact from major equipment or software failures on our networks; the effect of security breaches related to the network or customer information; our inability to obtain handsets, equipment/software or have handsets, equipment/software serviced in a timely and cost-effective manner from suppliers; or severe weather conditions including flooding and hurricanes, natural disasters including earthquakes and forest fires, pandemics, energy shortages, wars or terrorist attacks.

•The issuance by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other accounting oversight bodies of new accounting standards or changes to existing standards.

•Changes in our corporate strategies to respond to competition and regulatory, legislative and technological developments.

•Our ability to successfully complete divestitures, including the separation of the WarnerMedia business, as well as achieve our expectations regarding the financial impact of the completed and/or pending transactions.