AT&T INC. 10-Q

Item 4. Controls and Procedures The registrant maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the registrant is recorded, processed, summarized, accumulated and communicated to its management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2023. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June 30, 2023. There have not been any changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. 44 AT&T INC. JUNE 30, 2023 CAUTIONARY LANGUAGE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Information set forth in this report contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially. Many of these factors are discussed in more detail in the “Risk Factors” section herein and in our most recent Form 10-K. We claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The following factors could cause our future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements: • The severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and containment, mitigation and other measures taken in response, including the potential impacts of these matters on our business and operations. • Our inability to predict the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts will continue to impact our business operations, financial performance and results of operations. • Adverse economic, political and/or capital access changes or war or other hostilities in the markets served by us or in countries in which we have investments and/or operations, including inflationary pressures, the impact on customer demand and our ability and our suppliers’ ability to access financial markets at favorable rates and terms. • Increases in our benefit plans’ costs, including increases due to adverse changes in the United States and foreign securities markets, resulting in worse-than-assumed investment returns and discount rates; adverse changes in mortality assumptions; adverse medical cost trends; and unfavorable or delayed implementation or repeal of healthcare legislation, regulations or related court decisions. • 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; rules concerning digital discrimination; competition policy; privacy; net neutrality; copyright protection; availability of new spectrum on fair and balanced terms; and wireless and satellite license awards and renewals. • Enactment of additional state, local, federal and/or foreign regulatory and tax laws and regulations, or changes to existing standards and actions by tax agencies and judicial authorities including the resolution of disputes with any taxing jurisdictions, pertaining to our subsidiaries and foreign investments, including laws and regulations that reduce our incentive to invest in our networks, resulting in lower revenue growth and/or higher operating costs. • U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding intellectual property rights protection and privacy, personal data protection and user consent, which 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. • Our ability to compete in an increasingly competitive industry and against competitors that can 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, vendor fraud, economic and political instability, including the outbreak of war or other hostilities, and public health emergencies. • The continued development and delivery of attractive and profitable wireless, and broadband offerings and devices; 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. • The availability and cost and our ability to adequately fund additional wireless spectrum and network development, deployment and maintenance; and regulations and conditions relating to spectrum use, licensing, obtaining additional spectrum, technical standards and deployment and usage, including network management rules. • Our ability to manage growth in wireless data services, including network quality and acquisition of adequate spectrum at reasonable costs and terms. • The outcome of pending, threatened or potential litigation (which includes arbitrations), including, without limitation, patent and product safety claims by or against third parties or claims based on alleged misconduct by employees. • The impact from major equipment or software failures on our networks or cyber incidents; 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 or other climate related events including flooding and hurricanes, natural disasters including earthquakes and forest fires, pandemics, energy shortages, wars or terrorist attacks. • The issuance by the FASB or other accounting oversight bodies of new accounting standards or changes to existing standards. • Our response to competition and regulatory, legislative and technological developments. • The uncertainty surrounding further congressional action regarding spending and taxation, which may result in changes in government spending and affect the ability and willingness of businesses and consumers to spend in general. • Our ability to realize or sustain the expected benefits of our business transformation initiatives, which are designed to reduce costs, streamline distribution, remove redundancies and simplify and improve processes and support functions. • Our ability to successfully complete divestitures, as well as achieve our expectations regarding the financial impact of the completed and/or pending transactions. Readers are cautioned that other factors discussed in this report, although not enumerated here, also could materially affect our future earnings. 45 AT&T INC. JUNE 30, 2023 PART II – OTHER INFORMATION Dollars in millions except per share amounts