They're ganging up!
Group To Open Cable Internet Services Adds Nine
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A coalition of Internet service companies seeking to gain equal access to high-speed cable Internet services Friday said it added nine new members, primarily regional Internet service providers.
The Open Net Coalition, which includes America Online, MCI WorldCom and US West, plans to lobby Congress and federal regulators to bar cable television companies from using only cable-owned Internet service providers.
The nine new companies included Verio Inc. and regional Internet service providers in the Dallas, Denver, Portland, Ore., and Seattle areas.
''Local ISPs in Dallas have been fighting for open access to the cable broadband system because customers should have a choice,'' said Mike Maples, president Internet America, a new coalition member.
The cable industry has vowed to resist the coalition's push for open access to high-speed cable Internet.
Cable companies have argued that they need exclusive deals with Internet service providers they own, like AtHome Corp., in order to earn enough to pay for improvements to their networks required to allow high-speed Internet offerings.
On Friday, a spokesman for the National Cable Television Association said the group had ''nothing to add'' to previous statements opposing the Open Net group.
The cable industry won two early skirmishes this month, when the Federal Communications Commission decided not to look into the access issue as part of a study of high-speed services and not to impose any
open access requirements as part of the $48 billion AT&T Corp. (NYSE:T - news) merger with Tele-Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:LBTYA - news)
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