Verizon
OVERALL |
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Owned |
USA |
Rating |
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Telecommunications
USAs largest wireless communications service provider. Bought AOL in 2015 and Yahoo! in 2017, but sold them in 2021.
| Verizon Communications Inc | USA | website | ||||
Company Assessment
| PRAISE | CRITICISM | INFORMATION | ||
| Verizon Communications Inc | ||||
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JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 6th of 951 companies, and 1st of 10 Telecommunications companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023)
In 2021, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2021)
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
America's Most Responsible Companies 2022 by Newsweek and Statista recognises the Top 500 most responsible companies in the United States. Companies were evaluated in three areas: environmental (waste, energy use, etc.), social (leadership diversity, employees and philanthropy) and governance (transparency and economic performance). This company received a total score of 74.6/100, ranking 15th in the Software & Telecommunications sector, and 216th overall.
Source: Newsweek (2021) |
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Spenders on Lobbying", a list of the 20 organizations that have spent the most trying to influence US government policy. This company comes in at number 14 on the list, having spent $275,082,742 on lobbying between 1998 and 2021.
Source: Open Secrets (2021)
As You Sow's 2022 report, 'Road to Zero Emissions', assessed the progress of 55 of the largest U.S. corporations in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with the Paris Agreement's objective of limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which requires achieving "net zero" emissions by 2050. Companies are graded on: climate related disclosures; GHG reduction targets, and GHG reductions. This company received an Overall Net Zero grade of D.
Source: As You Sow (2022)
This company was among the US Top 20 Defense Contractors derived from the 2019 Washington Technology Top 100 list, based on their 2018 defense contract revenue. Microsoft was number 17 with a defense revenue of US$931 million.
Source: Washington Technology (2019)
This company was fined US$7.4 million in 2014 by the The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for using personal cellular data to market to customers without their consent. Verizon is accused of collecting detailed information about a customer's calling habits, like how many calls they made, what services they subscribe to, what numbers they dialed, and their geographic location whenever they placed a call. According to the FCC, Verizon "failed to generate the required opt-out notices" as early as 2006, making 2 million of its customers unknowing participants in the carrier's marketing plans. That data was then used to market Verizon's services to new customers.
Source: news article (2014)
This company was fined US$90 million in 2015 by the The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the conclusion of an investigation over "mobile cramming" allegations. The investigation hinged on a particularly dastardly method of revenue collection, wherein major carriers add seemingly minor increases to their customers bills for small fines and services. This tactic is referred to as "cramming".
Source: news article (2015)
This company was fined $1.35 million in 2016 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for failing to tell wireless customers about a technology that tracked them as they traveled from site to site on the Internet.
Source: news article (2016)
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Donors", a list of the 100 biggest givers in US federal-level politics since 1990. Companies on this list lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. This company comes in at number 70 on the list, with contributions totalling $40,578,817 between 1990 and 2020.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 35/100 in the Telecommunication Services category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 23 Sep 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022) |
This company was fined a record $25 million in 2010 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and agreed to refund an additional $52.8 million to customers to settle allegations that company overcharged as many as 15 million wireless subscribers over the previous three years for its so-called "pay-as-you-go" data plans. [Listed under Information due to age of court finding]
Source: news article (2010)
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$172,971. The CEO was paid 105 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
As You Sow's 2020 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Hans Vestberg came in at number 51 on the list, having been paid US$22,206,086 in 2019. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2020)
As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: responsible corporate engagement in climate policy; report climate change information in mainstream reports as a fiduciary duty; adopt a science-based emissions reduction target.
Source: We Mean Business (2021)
This company was named in Seramount's 100 Best Companies 2022 for being a mum-friendly employer. Listed companies provide inclusive benefits for families, including paid gender-neutral parental leave, phase-back programs, bereavement leave after miscarriage, reimbursement for fertility expenses, and increased mental health benefits for employees.
Source: Seramount (2022)
This company is a member of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), a leading source of impartial information, resources and best practices for achieving integrated social and environmental sustainability through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Source: GeSI (2016)
This company is a participant in the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), a multi-sector and multi-stakeholder initiative to support supply chain solutions to conflict minerals challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes Region (GLR) of Central Africa. The PPA provides funding and coordination support to organizations working within the region to develop verifiable conflict-free supply chains; align chain-of-custody programs and practices; encourage responsible sourcing from the region; promote transparency; and bolster in-region civil society and governmental capacity.
Source: PPA (2019)
This company is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (formerly the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative), which helps companies address conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. The RMI provides information on conflict-free smelters and refiners, common tools to gather sourcing information, and forums for exchanging best practices on addressing conflict minerals. Membership is open to companies that use or transact in tantalum, tin, tungsten or gold (3TG). Founded in 2008 by members of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.
Source: RMI (2019)
This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.
Source: How2Recycle (2023)
C- grade on the 2011 Green Grades Report Card, which examines the paper practices of a dozen Fortune 500 companies that consume vast amounts of paper, (A best, F worst).
Source: ForestEthics (2011)
As You Sow's 2019 report, Mining the Disclosures, is a deep analysis of 215 companies' human rights performance in relation to sourcing conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This company's score was 58.5% (Adequate).
Source: As You Sow (2019) |
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Company Details
| Type | Public company |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Revenue | 128 billion USD (2020) |
| Employees | 132,200 (2020) |
| Subsidiaries | Yahoo! Inc (10% owned) 
Internet services Created by Verizon in 2017 to serve as an umbrella company for its digital content subdivisions, including AOL and Yahoo!. Known as Oath Inc from 2017, Verizon Media from 2019, and Yahoo! Inc from 2021, following Apollo Global Management's acquisition of 90% of the company. - Yahoo!7 Pty Ltd
Online media company Formed in 1996 as a 50:50 partnership between the Seven Network Ltd and Yahoo! Inc. joining together Yahoo!'s global online assets with the TV and magazine content of the Seven Network. In 2018 Yahoo!'s parent company Verizon took over complete ownership. In 2021 Apollo Global Management bought 90% of Yahoo! from Verizon. |
Contact Details
| Address | New York, New York, USA |
| Website | www.verizon.com |
Products / Brands
Yahoo! (10% owned)|
AOL Search Engines |
Yahoo! Australia
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Yahoo! Search Engines
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