How do I submit an unblock request to AT&T?

You can submit an unblock request to AT&T by emailing their abuse desk at abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net . Include your sending IP, the domain affected, full bounce messages, and timestamps to expedite the process. For more information, you can also consult AT&T's postmaster support page.

What are the main email domains associated with AT&T's filtering?

AT&T's email filtering covers several domains beyond just att.net . These include legacy domains from mergers like sbcglobal.net , bellsouth.net , prodigy.net , and ameritech.net , among others. All these domains typically fall under similar filtering policies.

Is AT&T's email filtering handled by Yahoo/Verizon?

Yes, AT&T has a long-standing partnership with Yahoo (now Verizon Media) for its email services. This means that while some infrastructure might be AT&T's, the final delivery and critical spam and reputation filtering decisions for AT&T domains are largely handled by Yahoo's systems. This relationship can impact how your emails are treated.

What are common reasons for emails being blocked by AT&T?

Common reasons include poor sender reputation, high spam complaint rates, invalid or malicious content, lack of proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and sending to old or unengaged email lists that may contain spam traps. Bounce messages often provide specific error codes like 550 5.7.364 .

How can I improve my email deliverability to AT&T domains?

To improve deliverability to AT&T domains, ensure strong sender authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), maintain a clean and engaged mailing list, keep spam complaint rates low, and provide valuable, non-spammy content. Regularly monitor your bounce messages and consider using a blocklist checker to see if your IPs or domains are listed. Consistent and responsible sending practices are key.

How do I contact the AT&T postmaster and what domains are associated with their email filtering? - Troubleshooting - Email deliverability - Knowledge base

Dealing with email deliverability to large internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T Mail can be quite challenging due to their complex infrastructure and filtering mechanisms. Senders often find themselves wondering how to effectively communicate with the AT&T postmaster team when facing deliverability issues, especially when their emails are unexpectedly blocked or diverted.

A common point of confusion arises from the multitude of domains that AT&T manages, many of which have historical ties to various acquisitions and mergers. This fragmentation can make it difficult to determine which specific domains are covered by AT&T's email filtering policies, leading to a frustrating experience for email marketers and system administrators alike. Understanding the full scope of these domains and the appropriate channels for communication is crucial for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and ensuring your messages reach their intended recipients.

In this guide, I will outline the most effective ways to contact the AT&T postmaster, shed light on the various domains associated with their email filtering, and provide actionable advice to help you troubleshoot and resolve deliverability problems. Navigating the nuances of AT&T's email ecosystem requires a strategic approach, and having the right information can significantly improve your chances of successful email delivery.

Contacting the AT&T Postmaster and Support

Contacting the AT&T postmaster or their abuse desk is typically the first step when you encounter persistent email blocking or unusual bounce backs. For issues related to Real-time Blocklists (RBLs) or other abuse concerns, the most direct point of contact historically has been through a dedicated email address. While direct email communication with postmasters can sometimes be slow to yield a response, it is often the required channel for formal unblock requests or to escalate specific delivery failures.

The primary email address to consider for these types of inquiries is abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net. This address is specifically set up to handle reports and inquiries concerning blocklist (or blacklist) issues and other abuse-related complaints. When sending an email, ensure you provide all relevant details, including your sending IP address, the domain in question, bounce messages (Non-Delivery Reports), and timestamps of the affected emails. The more information you provide, the better equipped their team will be to investigate.

Beyond direct email, AT&T also provides a postmaster support page on their website, though it may redirect to a general support section now. This page is intended to assist Internet Service Providers (ISPs), email providers, and other service providers with information about AT&T's email service, its operations, and how to resolve issues. While it might not offer a direct submission form, it often contains FAQs and general guidance that can be helpful before reaching out via email. For more specific issues, you may need to consult articles on what to do when AT&T blocks emails.

Contacting the postmaster

Email for RBL Issues: Send detailed inquiries, including logs and bounce messages, to abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net.
Online Support: Check the official AT&T postmaster support page for general information and FAQs related to email service.

Identifying AT&T's Associated Email Domains

AT&T's email filtering doesn't just apply to the att.net domain. Due to a series of mergers and acquisitions over the years, a variety of other domains are also routed through or filtered by AT&T's infrastructure. This can create confusion for senders who might be seeing bounce backs from domains they don't immediately associate with AT&T.

These associated domains are often referred to as 'baby bell' domains and include widely recognized names. Emails sent to these domains will often be subject to the same (or similar) filtering rules as att.net addresses. This means that if you are experiencing deliverability issues with one AT&T-related domain, you are likely to experience them across the entire family of domains. You can learn more about this in articles such as why emails to AT&T, SBC, and Bellsouth domains bounce.

It's important to monitor your email sending performance to all these domains collectively. A sudden spike in bounce rates or a drop in inbox placement for any of these could indicate a broader issue with your sender reputation as perceived by AT&T's filtering system. For a comprehensive list, you can refer to resources like Spam Resource's list of all AT&T email domains. This awareness is key to proactive deliverability management and can help you identify if your emails are seeing increased bounces.

Domain	Notes
att.net	The primary AT&T consumer email domain.
sbcglobal.net	Former SBC Communications domain, now part of AT&T.
bellsouth.net	Another legacy domain from BellSouth Telecommunications.
prodigy.net	Historically associated with AT&T Internet services.
ameritech.net	Another historical domain from Ameritech.
snet.net	Associated with Southern New England Telephone.
nvbell.net	Related to Nevada Bell, part of the historical Bell System.
pacbell.net	Legacy domain from Pacific Bell.
swbell.net	From Southwestern Bell.
flash.net	Another legacy ISP domain.
worldnet.att.net	Early AT&T Internet service domain.

AT&T's Email Filtering Architecture and Yahoo's Role

AT&T's email infrastructure has a rather convoluted history, making its filtering logic somewhat unique. For many years, AT&T partnered with Yahoo, which meant that a significant portion of email traffic destined for AT&T domains was actually processed and filtered by Yahoo's systems. This collaboration evolved over time, eventually leading to Yahoo's (and later Verizon Media's) continued involvement in the backend operations of AT&T email services.

While the front-end user experience and some initial mail transfer agents (MTAs) might reside within AT&T's network, the final delivery and critical filtering decisions are often handled by Yahoo's (now

Yahoo Mail) systems. This means that email deliverability to AT&T domains can sometimes be influenced by Yahoo's broader filtering policies and reputation algorithms, potentially linking AT&T and Yahoo email delivery issues.

However, it's also been observed that the specific filtering applied to AT&T domains can differ from general Yahoo Mail filtering. This dual nature requires senders to consider both AT&T's specific postmaster guidelines and general best practices for Yahoo and AOL properties. Understanding how AT&T handles email filtering is key to effective deliverability.

AT&T's network

Historically, AT&T has managed its own set of Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) and email servers, especially for their core domains. These MTAs are responsible for receiving incoming mail and forwarding it. Issues like PTR and HELO record mismatches could lead to blocks at this stage.

Yahoo's filtering (Verizon Media)

For many years, and even currently,

Verizon Media (which includes

Yahoo) has handled the final delivery, spam, and reputation filtering for most AT&T domains. This means that Yahoo's sophisticated anti-spam systems are largely responsible for deciding whether an email lands in the inbox or is blocked. This partnership is a key factor in AT&T mail routing.

Strategies for Resolving AT&T Email Blocks

If you're facing persistent email blocking or low deliverability rates to AT&T associated domains, a systematic approach to troubleshooting is essential. The first step is to thoroughly examine your email logs for Non-Delivery Reports (NDRs) or bounce messages. These messages often contain valuable clues about why your emails are being rejected. Common bounce codes from AT&T's filtering system include messages like 550 5.7.364 or similar, indicating a policy violation or a sender reputation issue.

Example AT&T Bounce Messagetext

550 5.7.364 Remote server returned '550 5.7.364 SmtpAdvancedData' (ASXXX) indicating mail policy violation

Next, focus on your sender reputation. AT&T, like most major ISPs, heavily relies on sender reputation to filter incoming mail. Factors contributing to a positive reputation include proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), low spam complaint rates, and consistent sending volume. If your IP address or domain is on an AT&T blacklist (or blocklist), you'll need to submit a removal request. You can find more detailed steps on how to get removed from AT&T's blocklist in our knowledge base.

Finally, ensure your email content adheres to best practices and avoid anything that might trigger spam filters. This includes avoiding excessive use of capitalization, suspicious links, and common spam trigger words. Regularly cleaning your mailing lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses can also significantly reduce bounce rates and improve your sender metrics, preventing issues like spikes in block bounces. Consider using a free email deliverability tester to preemptively check for potential issues.

Best practices for AT&T deliverability

Monitor Bounce Messages: Analyze NDRs for specific error codes or messages indicating the reason for rejection, such as 550 5.7.364.
Maintain Sender Reputation: Ensure your IPs and domains have a good reputation by adhering to email sending best practices, minimizing spam complaints, and managing lists.
Implement Authentication: Properly configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify sender authenticity.
Clean Email Lists: Regularly remove invalid or inactive email addresses to minimize bounces and spam trap hits.

Views from the trenches

Best practices

Maintain high engagement rates with your subscribers to signal good sender reputation to AT&T.

Segment your email lists to send targeted content, reducing the likelihood of spam complaints.

Implement a double opt-in process for new subscribers to ensure active and legitimate contacts.

Common pitfalls

Ignoring bounce messages from AT&T domains, which often contain specific reasons for blocking.

Sending to old, unengaged, or purchased lists that may contain spam traps, leading to blocklists.

Assuming AT&T's filtering is identical to Yahoo's general filtering; they can have subtle differences.

Expert tips

Use a consistent sending IP and domain to build a strong reputation over time with AT&T's filters.

Actively encourage recipients to whitelist your email address to ensure consistent inbox delivery.

When requesting blocklist removal, provide all necessary details and be patient, as responses can take time.

Expert view

An expert from Email Geeks noted that AT&T's email system is powered by Prodigy, which in turn is powered by Yahoo and now Verizon, suggesting AT&T might defer deliverability issues to Verizon.

2020-02-01 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

A marketer from Email Geeks mentioned that AT&T and its associated 'baby bell' domains were separated from Yahoo's infrastructure prior to the AOL/Yahoo merger, and suggested trying abuse_rbl@abuse-att.net for contact, though its current effectiveness is uncertain.

2020-02-01 - Email Geeks

Final thoughts on AT&T deliverability

Navigating AT&T's email landscape can be complex due to its fragmented domain structure and its intertwined relationship with Yahoo (Verizon Media) for email filtering. However, by understanding the appropriate contact channels, the full list of associated domains, and the underlying infrastructure, senders can proactively address and resolve deliverability challenges.

Maintaining a strong sender reputation through proper authentication, clean lists, and compliant content is paramount. When issues arise, clear communication with the AT&T abuse desk, backed by detailed bounce messages and logs, will be your most effective strategy for ensuring your emails reach their destination. Proactive monitoring and adherence to best practices will help you keep your email programs running smoothly.