As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on                        .   Registration No. 333-_______

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

AT&T INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

                                                                            

2016 Incentive Plan

 (Full title of the plans)

                  

        Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  X    Accelerated filer      Non-accelerated filer       Smaller Reporting Company ___

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

PART I. INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a) prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Note to Part I of Form S-8.

PART II. INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference

The following documents have been filed by AT&T Inc. ("AT&T") with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") (File No. 1-08610) and are incorporated herein by reference (other than, in each case, documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

 

 

 

To the extent that any information contained in any current report on Form 8-K, or any exhibit thereto, was furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, such information or exhibit is specifically not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

All documents filed by AT&T or any of the plans listed on the cover page of this Registration Statement pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act") subsequent to the filing of this registration statement, and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this registration statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this registration statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this registration statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities

The Registrant is registering common shares which are registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, as amended.

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

As of May 12, 2016, Wayne A. Wirtz owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of AT&T.

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers

The laws of the State of Delaware provide for indemnification of any person (the "Indemnitee"), under certain circumstances, against reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred in connection with the defense of a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of AT&T) to which such person has been made, or threatened to have been made, a party by reason of the fact that he or she is or was serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of AT&T or by reason of the fact that he or she is or was serving at the request of AT&T as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. Pursuant to the statute, indemnity may be provided for if the Indemnitee acted in good faith (and with respect to a criminal action or proceeding, had no reason to believe his or her conduct was unlawful) and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of AT&T. With respect to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of AT&T, the statute provides that AT&T may indemnify against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of AT&T, except that no indemnification may be made if the Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be liable to AT&T unless specific court approval is obtained. The statute further provides that the indemnification provided pursuant to it shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. The bylaws of AT&T provide that AT&T shall indemnify, and advance expenses to, any director, officer, employee or agent of AT&T or any person serving as a director or officer of any other entity at the request of AT&T to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Under the statute, AT&T may, and does, maintain insurance policies covering AT&T, any director or officer of AT&T and any person serving at the request of AT&T as a director or officer of any other entity. These insurance policies generally cover liabilities arising out of such service, including liabilities for which any such person may not be indemnified by AT&T.

In recognition of the directors' and officers' need for substantial protection against personal liability in order to assure their continued service to AT&T in an effective manner, their reliance on the bylaws and to provide them with specific contractual assurances that the protection promised by such bylaws will be available to them, AT&T has entered into indemnity agreements with each of its directors and officers.

Each agreement specifies that AT&T will indemnify the director or officer to the fullest extent permitted by law, as soon as practicable after written demand is presented, against any and all expenses and losses arising out of any action, suit or proceeding, inquiry or investigation related to the fact that the director or officer is or was a director, officer or employee, agent or fiduciary of AT&T or was serving another corporation, partnership or joint venture in such a capacity at the request of AT&T. Each agreement also provides that AT&T will promptly advance any expenses if requested to do so. Each director and officer undertakes in the agreement to repay such advancements if it is ultimately determined that he or she was not entitled to indemnification. The right of any director or officer to indemnification in any case will be determined by either the Board of Directors (provided that a majority of directors are not parties to the claim), by a person or body selected by the Board of Directors or, if there has been a change in control, defined in the agreement generally to mean an acquisition by any person of 20 percent or more of AT&T's stock or a change in the identity of a majority of the Board of Directors over a two-year period, by a special, independent counsel.

In each agreement, AT&T commits to maintaining its insurance coverage of directors and officers both in scope and amount at least as favorable as the policies maintained as of the effective date of the agreement. In the event that such insurance is not reasonably available or if it is determined in good faith that the cost of the insurance is not reasonably justified by the coverage thereunder or that the coverage thereunder is inadequate, AT&T may discontinue any one or more of such policies or coverages. In such event, AT&T agrees to hold harmless and indemnify directors and officers to the full extent of the coverage which would otherwise have been provided if the insurance in effect on the effective date of the agreements had been maintained. Each agreement will remain effective so long as the director or officer is subject to liability for an indemnifiable event (the "indemnification period"). Each agreement also provides that if during the indemnification period the then existing directors and officers have more favorable indemnification rights than those provided for in the agreement, each director or officer shall be entitled to such more favorable rights. The foregoing summary is subject to the detailed provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, AT&T's bylaws, and the agreements between AT&T and each of its directors and officers.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed

Not applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits

Item 9.  Undertakings

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8 (Section 239.16b of this chapter), and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m or 78o(d)) that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement; and

SIGNATURES

The Registrant.  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Dallas, State of Texas, on this 12^th day of May 2016.

 

    Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated:

DIRECTORS:

*  By power of attorney

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit 5

[AT&T Inc. Letterhead]

May 12, 2016

AT&T Inc.

208 S. Akard Street

Dallas, TX  75202

Dear Sirs:

In connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Act") of shares of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Shares") of AT&T Inc., a Delaware corporation ("AT&T"), I am of the opinion that:

The foregoing opinion is limited to the federal laws of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and I am expressing no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction.

I have relied as to certain matters on information obtained from public officials, officers of AT&T and other sources believed by me to be responsible.

I hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, I do not thereby admit that I am in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act.

Exhibit 23-a

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form S-8 dated May 12, 2016) pertaining to the 2016 Incentive Plan for the registration of 90,000,000 shares of AT&T Inc. (AT&T) common stock, of our reports dated February 18, 2016, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of AT&T, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of AT&T, incorporated by reference in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the financial statement schedule of AT&T included therein, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Dallas, Texas

May 12, 2016

Exhibit 23-b

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of AT&T Inc. of our reports dated February 24, 2015, relating to the financial statements and financial statement schedule of DIRECTV and the effectiveness of DIRECTV's internal control over financial reporting, appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of DIRECTV for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Los Angeles, California

May 12, 2016

Exhibit 24

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

THAT, AT&T INC., a Delaware corporation, hereinafter referred to as the "Corporation," proposes to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission at Washington, D.C., under the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, a Registration Statement or Statements on Form S-8 for the issuance of additional shares of the Corporation's Common Stock pursuant to the 2016 Incentive Plan;

NOW, THEREFORE, each of the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Randall L. Stephenson, David R. McAtee II, Jonathan P. Klug, John J. Stephens, Paul W. Stephens, or any one of them, all of the City of Dallas and State of Texas, the attorneys for the undersigned and in the undersigned's name, place and stead, and in the undersigned's office and capacity in the Corporation, to execute and file a registration statement or statements, and thereafter to execute and file any and all amended registration statements and amended prospectuses or amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, hereby giving and granting to said attorneys full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing whatsoever requisite and necessary to be done in and concerning the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if personally present at the doing thereof, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys may or shall lawfully do, or cause to be done, by virtue hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned has hereunto set his or her hand the date set forth opposite their name.