1913 Kingsbury Commitment

E177034

The 1913 Kingsbury Commitment was a landmark agreement in which AT&T’s Bell System accepted federal conditions limiting its monopolistic practices and allowing competition in exchange for avoiding antitrust breakup.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Kingsbury Commitment 2
1913 Kingsbury Commitment canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (41)

Predicate Object
instanceOf antitrust agreement ⓘ
regulatory settlement ⓘ
telecommunications regulation milestone ⓘ
addressedTo U.S. Attorney General ⓘ
allowed continued dominance of AT&T in long-distance service ⓘ
operation of independent local telephone companies ⓘ
appliesTo AT&T long-distance network ⓘ
linked to: AT&T

Bell System ⓘ
context federal antitrust investigation of AT&T ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
date 1913-12-19 ⓘ
effect AT&T agreed to divest Western Union stock ⓘ
AT&T agreed to permit interconnection of independent telephone companies ⓘ
AT&T agreed to restrict further acquisitions of independent telephone companies ⓘ
AT&T avoided immediate antitrust dissolution ⓘ
recognized role of competition in U.S. telephone service ⓘ
strengthened federal oversight of AT&T ⓘ
governmentActor U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division ⓘ
historicalSignificance early federal regulation of a communications monopoly ⓘ
precursor to later comprehensive telephone regulation ⓘ
imposedCondition divestiture of AT&T’s holdings in Western Union ⓘ
limits on acquisition of competing telephone companies ⓘ
non-discriminatory interconnection with independents ⓘ
influenced development of U.S. telephone competition policy ⓘ
legalContext U.S. antitrust law ⓘ
legalForm letter of commitment ⓘ
longTermImpact helped entrench AT&T as regulated natural monopoly for decades ⓘ
namedAfter Nathan Kingsbury ⓘ
negotiatedBy Nathan Kingsbury as AT&T vice president ⓘ
predecessorOf later communications regulatory frameworks in the U.S. ⓘ
purpose to limit monopolistic practices of AT&T ⓘ
to prevent breakup of AT&T under antitrust action ⓘ
regulatesIndustry telecommunications ⓘ
relatedTo Bell System monopoly ⓘ
linked to: Bell System

Sherman Antitrust Act ⓘ
Western Union Telegraph Company ⓘ
linked to: Western Union
sector public utilities ⓘ
signatory American Telephone and Telegraph Company ⓘ
Nathan Kingsbury ⓘ
U.S. Department of Justice ⓘ
typeOfRestriction behavioral remedies on monopoly power ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Bell System → antitrustAction → 1913 Kingsbury Commitment ⓘ
AT&T avoided immediate antitrust dissolution → legalInstrument → Kingsbury Commitment ⓘ
linked to: 1913 Kingsbury Commitment
AT&T avoided immediate antitrust dissolution → relatedEvent → Kingsbury Commitment ⓘ
linked to: 1913 Kingsbury Commitment