Contact: Lou Cafiero

Washington, DC - The AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy arm of AT&T*, has donated $100,000.00 to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (NMSF) to support the OceansLIVE.org marine science education web portal, which provides live programming from America’s national marine sanctuaries through web casts and telepresence technology reaching millions of school children across the U.S and the world.

“We are grateful for AT&T’s generous support of such an exciting new educational tool that uses the latest technology to communicate important visual messages about ocean conservation and the need to protect our fragile marine environment,” said Joy Williams, acting president and CEO of the NMSF.

NMSF seeks out projects that help public audiences to better understand America’s special ocean places, as well as the human activities that impact them. One of the NMSF priorities over the last several years has been supporting the development of the OceansLIVE web portal, located at www.OceansLIVE.org.

“The OceansLIVE.org web portal will offer streaming video and links to ocean related web sites that will bring to life our national marine sanctuaries and provide underwater experiences to people, most of whom would never experience the ocean beyond the shoreline,” said Marshall M. Criser, III, president AT&T – Florida.

NOAA research expeditions into national marine sanctuaries use OceansLIVE as a platform to expand the educational outreach of each mission to the public. Through the financial support of AT&T, OceansLIVE will play an integral part in the next NOAA mission scheduled for 2010 which focuses on global climate change and the changes that can be seen in the coral reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Mission staff will use OceansLIVE to bring the critical issues of climate change and marine conservation to the general public and targeted audiences, which include inner-city schools in Florida and across the country, from Washington, D.C. to California.

Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said, “I had the great experience of participating in a live OceansLIVE web cast from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and saw the excitement on the faces of the many school children who spoke directly to scientists interacting with fish on a coral reef. I applaud AT&T for helping make the next mission possible so we can reach children from our country’s inner cities.”

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation is the private, non-profit partner to NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. The Foundation supports efforts to educate and motivate people on ways they can help preserve, protect and promote our nationwide network of marine sanctuaries. The 14 sites within the National Marine Sanctuary System encompass more than 150,000 square miles of special protected places in the ocean and Great Lakes, from the Florida Keys to the Hawaiian Islands and from Lake Huron to the Gulf of Mexico.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verseSM and AT&T │DIRECTVSM brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T’s Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

About Philanthropy at AT&T
For 25 years, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have been committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. As the AT&T Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2009, more than $160 million was contributed through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs in 2008 alone.

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Visit www.OceansLIVE.org and www.nmsfocean.org to learn more. High resolution photos are available by also visiting www.nmsfocean.org.