I knew T would pull this...what about all those letters of commitment to ATHM, and denials of side deals?? Sure, probably all rumors.
<<<WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The No. 2 cable television operator, AT&T Corp. (NYSE:T - news), and the No. 2 Internet service provider, MindSpring Enterprises (NasdaqNM:MSPG - news), on Monday will announce a deal to share AT&T's high-speed cable Internet wires in a few years, people familiar with the companies said on Sunday.
The landmark agreement, reported in Sunday's Washington Post, could help AT&T answer critics of its current exclusive deal requiring that customers sign up with ExciteAtHome Corp. (NasdaqNM:ATHM - news), an Internet service provider (ISP) owned by AT&T and other cable companies.
Other ISPs and consumer advocates have complained that the exclusive deal stifles competition and could harm the Internet's democratic nature. While federal regulators and members of Congress have so far refrained from forcing AT&T to open its cable system, many have said they are monitoring the situation closely.
The deal with MindSpring could also attract more Internet subscribers to AT&T's cable system, which cost billions of dollars to upgrade for carrying two-way traffic. ExciteAtHome has almost 1 million subscribers, well behind market-leader America Online's (NYSE:AOL - news) more than 19 million users.
An AT&T spokeswoman declined to comment. MindSpring, AOL and ExciteAtHome officials could not be immediately reached.>>> |
