The international version of Galaxy Note phone, the GT-N7000 is sold contract free and comes with tethering enabled. Unfortunately, ATT Galaxy Note does not. 
Fortunately, there is a workaround on how to enable tethering on i717 Note. To do it you must first root it.
1) Root ATT Galaxy Note i717
2) Install titanium backup from Google Play Market.
3) Use it to freeze or uninstall TetheringManager.apk in /system/app
4) Then install any Wi-Fi tethering app from market
That is it. You have successfully enabled tethering on your Note. You will now be able to share your Internet connection with upto 5 devices.