United States v. AT&T

It is the year 1984, and a new era has begun for the telecommunications industry. Effective January 1, the results of the antitrust case of United States v. AT&T were underway: the breakup of the biggest corporation in American history. Now, the once-unified Bell System continues on as eight separate companies, including AT&T Corp.. Seven of them are newly-formed independent companies, also known as the “Baby Bells.” Now, you, American antitrust officials, representatives of these eight companies, and telecommunications experts, must navigate the daring course ahead of you. The telephone network is vital to the daily lives of the American people and remains so for the foreseeable future. It is up to you, delegates, to make the best out of the breakup.

Committee Topics and Background Guide

Topic A: Navigating new competition among the Baby Bell companies

Topic B: Allocation and availability of government subsidies for the telecommunications industry

Letter from the Chair

Dear Distinguished Delegates,

My name is Sudgie Ma, and I’ll be your chair for the committee of United States v. AT&T. This is one of the most important antitrust cases in U.S. history, and I’m so excited to be tackling its aftermath with all of you for JHUMUNC 2019. After all, the effects of this committee have manifested most notably in our generation, considering the breakthrough of cellular technologies within the past few decades. It’s going to be an incredibly thrilling time for our committee, and I can’t wait to see the enthusiasm and knowledge you will all bring to debate.

I am a junior in the Johns Hopkins University Class of 2020, double majoring in Economics and International Studies. I’ve lived in New York for most of my life, and I attended high school on the Upper East Side. I didn’t actually participate in MUN back then, but I decided to join JHUMUNC on a whim as a freshman in college and have stuck with it since! Outside of JHUMUNC, I’m involved in Mock Trial, Alpha Phi Omega (the national co-ed service fraternity), Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the campus News-Letter.

In JHUMUNC 2017, I was a crisis staff member in one of our Joint Crisis Committees, and in 2018, I was a dais staff member for an ECOSOC committee. Now, in 2019, I’m returning to Specialized as a committee chair. It’s great to see the behind-the-scenes of running a large-scale conference like this and to live vicariously through all of the amazing delegates that come through. As the chair of a Specialized committee, one of my main goals is to get to know each and every one of you throughout sessions and have everyone feel engaged!

For any questions or concerns about JHUMUNC, Hopkins, or anything really, feel free to reach out to me. I’m here for you, delegates!

Can’t wait to see everyone in February.

Sincerely,

Sudgie Ma
Chair, United States v. AT&T
JHUMUNC Session XXII
sma25@jhu.edu