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AT&T committee expected to review CEO role

The company may convene a special committee to assess possible conflicts of interest by Chief Executive Michael Armstrong, according to reports.

AT&T may convene a special committee to assess possible conflicts of interest by its chairman and chief executive, Michael Armstrong, according to reports.

The deal in which cable giant Comcast will buy AT&T's cable business has raised the hackles of investors, because Armstrong--who helped shape the $72 billion merger--will remain with AT&T during the regulatory approval process but then lead the new AT&T Comcast cable business, in direct competition with AT&T's consumer telephone business.

The special committee, expected to be announced next month, will be made up of nonexecutive directors and will oversee dealings between AT&T's rival cable and telecommunications divisions, the Financial Times reported.

AT&T denied it gave Armstrong any special leeway when it decided to sell the cable unit to Comcast rather than to the other suitors in the running, according to the report.