HI Allen: RE>You might find some of the conference call comments from the VP of AT&T Worldnet interesting. There were a number of things he said in the conference that weren't showing up in the press releases.
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You bet I would find it interesting, but I doubt I would like it.
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According to AT&T surveys, the number one issue with the internet is reliability. They are now going to measure internet access and benchmark against other key ISP's (Compuserve, Prodigy, MSN, etc.) AOL will not be included. They are not seen as competing as an ISP, rather more as an online content provider with chat and email.
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IN reality AOL is a proxy, and is limeted in what it can do
on the internet because of it's propritery system and software,
like streaming in live vidio..from some were other than one of their
own servers can't work on AOL..if all parties are on the AOL network,
they can do a fair chat, but the internet phone can't work say
from an AOL connection to a regular ISP..
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AOL reliabity in December was 37%. The reliability is when you call, do you make your connection.
As far as pricing, there are no reductions in the way. As far as
marketing, they don't plan to "Carpet Bomb" with advertising.
And as far as people using the net for long distance calls, getting
around the toll booth is an issue that will be settled with the FCC
when they determine the access charges that should apply. Two
scenarios develop which make the most recent long distance deal with
AOL a little suspect. The first is some access charge for long
distance calls on the internet, the second is lowering current charges
to non internet providers.
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Let me make it clear I'm no AT&T lover, I know some of the
underhanded stuff they will pull. AS for believing them on a bench
mark..no way..there are all kinds of bench marks..lets say you
get a phone connection..then do a bench mark..heavens it would
be a hard job..and the results would likley never be the same,
as the demand goes up and down..and there are 14 backbones,
and your packtets can be comming back to you from many ways,
as this whole thing was set up to work in the event of an atomic
war..packets are redundent..you may get packets coming in on one backbone, or several depending if the one picks up a heavy load,
or goes down..when a packet leaves the first juntion, it is
going both ways <->...if the left one gets hung up the right one
will likey hit a juntion..then it's heading two more ways..
there can be 10 or more redundent packets, all trying to find a way
to the destination, it's like never the same.
IF you were on a point along the same backbone the message started
on you could bench mark test it..but you would have to get an average,...I'll likly question any so called bench marks that come
out from any "press release"..it's to easy to make your own system
look like it's the best..flat out I don't need a bench mark to
know MCI has the best internet backbone cable in the ground,
not the most in miles, but from Atlanta the Washington..the new
one blows every thing else away , and from Atlanta to SF, there is
nothing that can touch it..and won't for a long time. MCI saw
it coming, they have the really BIGEST BACKBONE cable in the ground.
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I predicted a long time ago AT&T would be trying to get sur
chages placed on ALL internet usage..they don't care how they do
it..and will try some slight of hand, There is a real deterined
effort underway to TAX all internet users, and they dodge the
issue when you try to get them to talk about it..one way or another
they will ram it down our throts..most of the telcos are in on it
and will give you some spin, KEEP in mind if there is anything that
kills free speach..a tax can do it the best and in the sneaky
way..do you know you now pay an interstate hook up charge on any
phone..even if you do not want Long distance..little by little
the tax has run up on your phone bill..but they are not happy
with that..the underhanded crap they pull makes me mad.
jim
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