SAN ANTONIO --(Business Wire)-- May 23, 2005 -- SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC), a long-time proponent of technology enablement for small businesses, today announced its support of and participation in the Technology Partnership for Small Business Task Force. The task force today released a white paper outlining technology trends for minority-owned and women-owned small businesses, as well as strategies to help close gaps in technology utilization.

SBC companies are a member of the task force, which includes representatives from the IT industry, local and national supplier diversity advocacy organizations, and government officials. The task force was convened by Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).

A key element of the task force's recommendations is development of an online technology resource that diversity business owners can access to learn how to take full advantage of information technologies which would improve and grow their business. This recommendation traces its origin to a technology toolbox pilot project of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) that was funded by the SBC Foundation. SBC personnel will also be participating in a seminar tour being planned by the task force.

"A greater emphasis on technology enablement can help minority- and women-owned small businesses realize their full economic potential," said Laura Sanford, president of the SBC Foundation. "We at SBC are pleased to join with Microsoft, the Department of Commerce and the other members of the task force in highlighting this issue, offering input to the white paper, and playing a role in development of an important online resource."

Through the SBC Foundation and its SBC Excelerator signature giving program, the SBC companies help to build stronger communities and improve the lives of people in communities through improved technology resources. In 2004, the SBC Foundation provided more than $8 million to empower hundreds of nonprofits to use technology to expand the reach of services and heighten the impact those services have on people in the community.

The SBC companies are long-time supporters of programs to encourage technology enablement among minority-, women-, and disabled veteran-owned businesses. During the Internet boom, the SBC companies produced an e-commerce training series entitled "Bridging the Digital Divide" to educate and prepare diversity firms for the emerging e-procurement trends. With SBC's support and leadership, the WBENC technology committee launched quarterly seminars on the technology capabilities required to do business with corporate America. The SBC companies also support several national and local supplier diversity advocacy organizations, through which they provide corporate funding and leadership to support training, mentoring, and certification services. The company also provides scholarships for minority, women and disabled veteran owned businesses to attend executive management training programs at several leading university business schools.

The SBC companies serve more than two million small and medium-sized business customers today, and have been a leader and pioneer in the inclusion of minority- and women-business enterprises in its supplier base for more than 37 years. SBC companies are a national leader in supplier diversity spending among major corporations; in 2004, the companies spent $1.8 billion with diverse suppliers, representing 17.2 percent of its procurement base.

SBC Communications is nationally recognized for its world-class supplier diversity programs. This year alone, the company has received awards or top rankings from DiversityInc magazine (Top 50 Companies for Diversity), the Association for Service Disabled Veteran's Patriot Partner Award, the Women Business Enterprise National Council (America's Top Corporations for Women Business Enterprises), the Connecticut Minority Supplier Development Council (Corporation of the Year) and DiversityBusiness.com (Top Companies for Multicultural Businesses).

SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 50.4 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.