NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Aug. 14, 2002--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that it assigned its double-'A'-minus rating to diversified telecommunications provider SBC Communications Inc.'s $1 billion senior unsecured note offering. The proceeds will be used primarily for repayment of commercial paper. The double-'A'-minus long-term and 'A-1'-plus short-term corporate credit ratings on the company were also affirmed. The outlook is stable. San Antonio, Texas-based SBC had about $26 billion total debt outstanding as of June 30, 2002. "Despite economic challenges, SBC is expected to maintain a financial profile supportive of the ratings, with EBITDA interest coverage expected to continue to exceed 10 times (x) and debt to EBITDA to remain at about 1.3x, including the company's 60% proportionate
