07:45 AM EDT, 06/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- AT&T ( T ) Chief Executive Officer John Stankey said that the Federal Communications Commission should require big tech firms to contribute to the Universal Service Fund that subsidizes access to telecom services, media reports said Monday.

"The seven largest and most profitable companies in the world built their franchises on the internet and the infrastructure we provide," Stankey said at a forum in Utah, according to reports.

"Why shouldn't they participate in ensuring affordable and equitable access to the services of today that are just as indispensable as the phone lines of yesteryear?" Stankey said, reports said.

AT&T ( T ) did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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