Google's Schmidt, AT&T's Stephenson, Dish's Clayton and the rest of the best-paid CEOs in the telecom industry

$147 million. That's what just three of the top executives in the telecom industry make in combined compensation. Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt counted total compensation last year of $108.69 million; AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson scored total compensation in 2014 of $23,984,315; and Former Dish CEO Joseph Clayton notched total compensation last year of $13.78 million.

The figures are notable considering the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission just approved controversial rules that will require public companies to list their CEOs' total annual compensation as a ratio to their workers' median pay (though that rule won't produce reports until next year at the earliest).

It's no secret that executives in the telecommunications industry are well paid. But how exactly do they rank in terms of overall compensation? That's exactly the question that Fierce answered in recent reports from FieceWireless, FierceTelecom and FierceCable, ranking executives in the wireless, telecom and cable industry in terms of their total compensation for 2014 (the most recent numbers available).

So make sure to check out these lists to see how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella compares to Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam, or how DirecTV CEO Michael White compares to Apple SVP Angela Ahrendts, in terms of total compensation.

The 10 highest-paid executives in wireless in 2014

The 10 highest paid CEOs in wireline in 2014

The 8 highest paid CEOs in pay-TV in 2014