AT&T quits Venezuela as US sanctions force it to defy Maduro
Source: Associated Press
MIAMI (AP) — AT&T said Tuesday it will immediately ditch Venezuela’s pay TV market as U.S. sanctions prohibit its DirecTV platform from broadcasting channels that it is required to carry by the socialist administration of Nicolás Maduro.
The Dallas-based company said its decision to close its unit is effective immediately. It joins a number of other U.S. companies — General Motors, Kellogg Co. and Kimberly-Clark — that have abandoned Venezuela due to shrinking sales, government threats and the risk of U.S. sanctions. Around 700 Venezuelans depended on the unit for employment.
“Because it is impossible for AT&T’s DIRECTV unit to comply with the legal requirements of both countries, AT&T was forced to close its pay TV operations in Venezuela, a decision that was made by the company’s U.S. leadership team without any involvement or prior knowledge of the DIRECTV Venezuela team,” the company said in a statement.
[...]
An Associated Press investigation from January found that AT&T had been under increasing pressure from the Trump administration to stand up to Maduro’s censors, who since 2017 have ordered the removal of some 10 channels, including CNN en Español, that had broadcast anti-government protests.
Read more: https://apnews.com/ca162d46385bf5a6b9b10d84390ac599
Whoa, the Trump administration *defending* CNN (its Spanish channel at least)? Weird.
AT&T's full statement: AT&T announces closing of DirecTV Latin America operations in Venezuela
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