If T abandons ATHM, T has no choice but to be forced to work with AOL like the Baby Bells.
I don't wish to suggest that T is going to "abandon" ATHM now or any time in the future. But I also don't see the situation as a dichotomous choice between AOL and ATHM. The situation may change, but AOL currently provides nothing but a slight theoretical marketing advantage for a broadband supplier.
It's also worth noting that the Baby Bells in general have not been "forced" to work with AOL. Two of the five RBOCs have signed marketing agreements. They're the biggest two, but not the quickest at broadband rollout. The two companies that have been most aggressive at DSL -- US West and BellSouth -- don't have agreements with AOL. USW, for instance has something like 36,000 DSL customers who can choose from dozens of ISPs. AOL is not one of those ISPs.
One of the companies that does have a DSL agreement with AOL is BellAtlantic, but take a look at the ISPs currently available on their systems. (http://www.bell-atl.com/infospeed/more_info/pricing.html). Again, AOL is not one of them.
Sometime, somewhere, AOL might actually provide someone with a high-speed connection, but so far they seem to be more interested in high-speed lobbying, lawyering, and press-releasing. |
