How do I contact the AT&T postmaster and what domains are associated with their email filtering?

Summary

To contact AT&T regarding email deliverability issues, use abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net for abuse reporting and delisting requests, although direct contact can be challenging. Key domains include att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net and currently.com. Improving deliverability requires proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitoring sender and IP reputation, actively managing bounce messages and feedback loops, and adhering to email sending best practices, recognizing AT&T's infrastructure ties to Yahoo/Verizon may influence filtering.

Key findings

  • Contact Information: abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net is the contact for abuse reports and delisting, but direct contact can be difficult.
  • Associated Domains: Key domains include att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net, and currently.com.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for deliverability.
  • Monitoring is Essential: Active monitoring of bounces, feedback loops, sender/IP reputation is essential.
  • Infrastructure Ties: AT&T's infrastructure has ties to Yahoo/Verizon, which may impact deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Authentication Implementation: Implement and validate SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records for your sending domains.
  • Reputation Management: Proactively manage sender and IP reputation to prevent blacklisting.
  • Bounce Analysis: Analyze bounce messages to identify and address specific delivery issues.
  • Feedback Loop Management: Enroll in feedback loops to address spam complaints promptly.
  • Best Practices Adherence: Adhere to email sending best practices to avoid spam filters and maintain a good reputation.
  • Infrastructure Awareness: Monitor Yahoo and Verizon policies because they may have an impact on AT&T filtering

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

Contacting AT&T's postmaster involves using the email address abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net. While AT&T's email infrastructure has historical ties to Yahoo and Verizon, its filtering can be distinct. Key domains associated include att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net, and currently.com. Improving deliverability involves proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), monitoring sender reputation, and adhering to email best practices. Monitoring bounces and feedback loops can provide insights into specific issues. Furthermore, maintaining a clean IP reputation and promptly addressing spam complaints are crucial.

Key opinions

  • Contact Email: The email address abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net is used to contact AT&T's postmaster.
  • Filtering: AT&T's filtering can be distinct from Verizon/Yahoo despite historical connections.
  • Associated Domains: Commonly associated domains include att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net and currently.com.
  • Authentication: Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is crucial for deliverability.
  • Bounces/Feedback: Monitoring bounces and feedback loops provides insight into specific deliverability issues.

Key considerations

  • Sender Reputation: Actively monitor sender reputation to identify and resolve deliverability issues promptly.
  • IP Reputation: Maintain a clean IP reputation and ensure your IP isn't on any blocklists.
  • Spam Complaints: Actively monitor feedback loops for spam complaints and take action to remove those users from your mailing lists
  • Best Practices: Adhere to email best practices to avoid being marked as spam by recipients
  • Infrastructure ties: Be aware of possible shared infrastructure ties to Yahoo and Verizon that could influence delivery to AT&T subscribers
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares a list of domains that they used to think were all the same AT&T filter, including att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net, prodigy.net, snet.net, ameritech.net, nvbell.net, pacbell.net, swbell.net, flash.net and worldnet.att.net.

February 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that a quick check of bounces from att.net showed that all the remote IPs have rDNS of prodigy.net. The MTAs are in AT&T's network, but the mail is (or at least used to be) passed over to Yahoo (VM) for final delivery/filtering and interface.

May 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares that common AT&T associated domains include att.net, bellsouth.net, sbcglobal.net, and currently.com. Suggests treating them as distinct entities for deliverability troubleshooting.

October 2021 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from SendGrid shares that IP reputation will influence the delivery of your emails. If you have a low IP reputation it can impact negatively on deliverability. You should ensure that your IP is not on any blocklists.

August 2023 - SendGrid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Validity shares that feedback loops will provide insight into the spam complaints from users. If users are marking the email as spam you can then take action to remove these users from your mailing list.

January 2022 - Validity
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that at some point ATT and all the baby bell domains were removed from Yahoo before the AOL/Yahoo merge and that you can contact AT&T at abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net. This email is still listed at att.com.

June 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow discusses the complexity of AT&T's email infrastructure, noting its historical ties to various providers (Yahoo, Verizon) and the potential for inconsistent filtering. Suggests monitoring bounces and feedback loops to identify specific issues.

June 2023 - Stack Overflow
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet explains that senders encountering deliverability issues with AT&T should ensure proper email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. They advise checking sender reputation and adhering to email best practices.

September 2021 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOnAcid explains that to improve deliverability to AT&T domains, monitor your sender reputation, authenticate your emails with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, and ensure your content is not spammy.

February 2023 - EmailOnAcid
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that when they see blocks at Verizon (Yahoo/AOL/Verizon), they are not seeing them on att domains, indicating different filtering.

May 2022 - Email Geeks

What the experts say
3Expert opinions

Contacting AT&T's postmaster directly is difficult, with some suggesting AT&T relies on Verizon's infrastructure. Achieving deliverability requires monitoring bounce messages for specific guidance and adhering to email sending best practices. Maintaining a positive sender reputation through active monitoring of blocklists and feedback loops is also crucial.

Key opinions

  • Contact Difficulty: Direct contact information for the AT&T postmaster is difficult to obtain.
  • Infrastructure Dependence: AT&T's email infrastructure may rely on Verizon's, potentially influencing deliverability.
  • Bounce Analysis: Monitoring bounce messages provides specific guidance for deliverability issues.
  • Reputation Management: Maintaining a positive sender reputation is crucial for AT&T deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Bounce Monitoring: Actively monitor bounce messages to identify specific reasons for delivery failures.
  • Best Practices: Adhere to general email sending best practices, including authentication and content relevance.
  • Blocklist Monitoring: Monitor blocklist listings to identify if your sending IP/domain is blacklisted.
  • Feedback Loops: Enroll in feedback loops to receive spam complaints and promptly address them.
  • Infrastructure Awareness: Be aware of the complex infrastructure relationships (AT&T, Verizon, Yahoo) and potential impacts on deliverability.
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that maintaining a positive sending reputation requires actively monitoring blocklist listings and feedback loops to identify and address deliverability problems with AT&T, and adjusting sending practices accordingly.

August 2021 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that AT&T email blocking policies and contact information for their postmaster are difficult to obtain directly, and advises monitoring bounce messages for specific guidance, and using standard deliverability best practices.

June 2024 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that AT&T is powered by Prodigy which is powered by Yahoo which is now powered by Verizon and AT&T’s probably happy to let it be Verizon’s problem.

October 2021 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

To contact AT&T regarding email issues, use abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net for reporting abuse and delisting requests. Actively monitor bounce messages to understand rejection reasons and improve email delivery. Ensure proper email authentication using SPF and DMARC records. DMARC reporting is also important to understand if you are being delivered.

Key findings

  • Contact Email: abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net is the appropriate email for abuse reporting and delisting.
  • Bounce Monitoring: Actively monitoring bounce messages helps identify and address delivery issues.
  • SPF Records: Properly configured SPF records are essential for email authentication.
  • DMARC Records: Properly configured DMARC records are essential for email authentication.
  • DMARC reporting: DMARC reporting is also important to understand if you are being delivered.

Key considerations

  • Proactive Monitoring: Implement proactive monitoring of bounce messages to identify deliverability issues in a timely manner.
  • Authentication Setup: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured and validated.
  • Reporting: Set up DMARC reporting to monitor email delivery.
  • Abuse Reporting: Provide clear instructions to customers on how to report unwanted emails/spam.
Technical article

Documentation from SparkPost explains that you need to actively monitor bounces to identify the reason that your email was rejected from the server. You can then improve to make sure your mail is accepted in the future.

June 2024 - SparkPost
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC answers question about DMARC needing to be set up to allow you to use reporting to see if your emails are being delivered and any potential issues

July 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from AT&T Official Website shares instructions for how to report unwanted emails or spam received by their customers.

August 2022 - AT&T official Website
Technical article

Documentation from RFC-Editor explains that SPF records need to be correctly set up to authenticate your email.

December 2021 - RFC-Editor
Technical article

Documentation from AT&T Postmaster Support provides the email address abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net as the appropriate contact for reporting abuse and requesting delisting.

November 2024 - AT&T Postmaster Support