AT&T Sounds Out EU on Impact of NSA Role

AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson met with the European Union's top telecom regulator in Davos, as the giant US carrier continues to look into a possible acquisition in the region.

He asked Commissioner Neelie Kroes how revelations of data-gathering programs conducted by the National Security Agency would affect the ability of companies like AT&T to do business in Europe, people familiar with the conversation said. Commissioner Kroes replied that US companies, like AT&T, face a trust problem in Europe as a result of the spying disclosures and it is in the interests of all the parties to get that resolved. The scandal is likely to be a live issue as the continent gears up for EU-wide European Parliament elections in May.