It's "fate" that they would have sealed, and EVERYBODY's hurting, not just AT&T.
AT&T itself is set up to do well. Telecommuting is the new big thing, and we're also replacing air travel.
As for our debt, the Fed's spigot is wide open, which is flooding the world with liquidity. Once we've got things back under some control (if only temporarily, due to the end of "cold and flu season"), that liquidity will turn into inflation, which is bad for most, but allows debtors to repay loans with "cheaper" dollars.
It will probably halt layoffs for a while, because they're expecting a certain percentage of us to die, and will also reduce the pension and retiree-healthcare "burden" on the company as well, as retirees die off and leave their loved ones uninsured.
What? Surely, didn't believe all the c-ap about how much we're all pulling together. Spewing that c-ap is the main job of the 9 levels of management that would otherwise have little to do.