Open Internet Proposal at Verizon Wins $30.6 Billion of Shareholder Vote
Support Comes as FCC Weighs New Network Neutrality Rules New York, NY // MAY 8, 2014: A shareholder proposal calling on Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) to report on business risks arising from the company’s opposition to open Internet and network neutrality principles has gained important new support from investors, winning 26.4% of the vote at Verizon’s annual meeting on May 1, 2014. The vote comes as the Federal Communications Commission considers the possibility of new open Internet rules to be introduced by Chairman Tom Wheeler at a commission meeting on May 15. Net neutrality is the principle that all Internet …
Reuters : Shareholders End Push for Verizon Data-Sharing Details
Reuters recently published an article about Trillium’s successful withdrawal of our shareholder resolution with Verizon Communications. Ross Kerber writes: “Verizon Communications Inc shareholders said on Tuesday they have withdrawn a resolution asking the company to disclose details of customer information that it shares with law enforcement, saying the company had already met key requests. Jonas Kron, senior vice president of resolution sponsor Trillium Asset Management, said the filers withdrew the measure after the company disclosed more details this month of its information-sharing with government agencies. “Publication of these reports makes strong business sense and will facilitate the critical and long-term …
Investors Withdraw Verizon Shareholder Proposal on Government Surveillance Programs
JANUARY 28, 2014 // BOSTON, MA: A coalition of investors, which had requested that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) publish regular reports on government and law enforcement requests for confidential customer data, today commended the company for publishing its first report and made recommendations for improving future reports. The coalition was led by Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), which filed a shareholder resolution on behalf of Park Foundation, in close partnership with Open MIC, a non-profit organization that works to foster more open and democratic media. The investors’ announcement follows yesterday’s news that the Obama Administration will permit more detailed disclosures …
NY Times: Verizon Publishes First Transparency Report on Data Requests
The New York Times recently ran an article about Verizon Communications’ publication of a Privacy Transparency report. Brian X. Chen writes: “…In November, Trillium Asset Management, the activist investment firm, filed a shareholder resolution pressuring Verizon to publish a transparency report. In response to the report published on Wednesday, Jonas Kron, a senior vice president of Trillium, said he had yet to review the details of the report thoroughly, but was pleased with the progress. “Our goal in filing the shareholder proposal was to persuade companies to be issuing transparency reports. We’ve accomplished that goal,” he said. “We’ve now moved …
Trillium’s Jonas Kron Appears on Fox Business News to Discuss Transparency Reporting at Verizon and AT&T
Jonas Kron, Trillium’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy, recently appeared on Fox Business News with host Connell McShane to discuss our firm’s shareholder engagement with Verizon Communications and AT&T regarding the disclosure of requests for customer information by U.S. and foreign governments. On December 19, 2013, Verizon announced that it would publish transparency reports comparable to those requested in Trillium’s shareholder resolution. Verizon’s announcement was followed a day later by a similar announcement by AT&T. Trillium was the lead filer on the Verizon resolution. The lead filer at AT&T is The New York State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli – with Trillium co-filing. …
Reuters: Shareholders Raise Surveillance Concerns at AT&T, Verizon
A pair of privacy-related shareholder resolutions that were recently filed with AT&T and Verizon have been widely covered in the press. Trillium was the lead filer on the Verizon proposal and the NYS Comptroller’s Office was the lead filer on the AT&T proposal. Ross Kerber and Sinead Carew of Reuters write: “Shareholders of telecom giants AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc are seeking more details related to their sharing of customer information with governments, showing investors starting to push back over the role of communications companies in spying operations. Activists including Trillium Asset Management of Boston and the $161 billion …
Shareholders Ask Verizon and AT&T to Report on Government Requests for Customer Information
BOSTON, MA // NOVEMBER 20, 2013: Adding the investor voice to the government surveillance debate, shareholders of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) filed shareholder proposals calling on the companies to publish semi-annual reports detailing how often they have shared information with U.S. or foreign governments and what type of customer information has been shared. These proposals bring the discussion squarely in front of corporate management and boards of directors. Global concern over U.S. government surveillance programs has provoked international press coverage as well as U.S. Congressional and European legislative hearings, and widespread calls for reform. Trillium …
Trillium Wins Significant Victory in Net Neutrality Fight
Trillium Asset Management and other socially responsible investors have won a significant victory in the fight for net neutrality. After years of denial, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that investors will have the opportunity to press Internet Service Providers (ISPs) AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to adopt policies that would insure their neutral handling of all Internet content regardless of the sender, recipient or nature of the content. The companies had sought to block shareholders from voting on the proposals by arguing, among other things, that network neutrality was not a “significant public policy issue.” The SEC rejected that …
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