Excellent article dated 12/13 regarding Excite@home and many statements by TJ on what is currently happening.
multichannel.com
Some of the best highlights regarding concerns post exclusivity, solutions, etc.
Not extracted here, but in the full article are plans and progress being made. Very well done. Appears part of the positive media blitz now happening that was alluded to in earlier articles.
‘Besides the service-quality imperative, Excite@Home is also readying for the day when the exclusivity agreements it struck with its original cable partners begin to expire, which the company does not believe will change its outlook for long-term commercial relationships with those affiliates.
All eyes, of course, are on 2002, when Excite@Home's exclusivity agreements with such affiliates as AT&T Broadband, Cox Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp. begin expiring. If Excite@Home has hit subscriber targets in the 20 million-home range, it would be difficult -- and it might make little financial sense -- for MSOs to start migrating customers to another platform.
Although AT&T Broadband has repeatedly indicated that it would strike deals with other Internet-service providers for access to its broadband networks, the company's 40 percent stake in Excite@Home, plus its agreement to receive service from the company for three years after exclusivity runs out, promises a long-term, if not exclusive, relationship.
"We have no reason to believe we won't be their partner going forward," Jermoluk said. "If we're providing good service at a good price, then we are their logical partner to continue to offer their services. That's always been our goal."
Not that it isn't a challenge working with numerous partners -- "my brothers," Jermoluk sighed in mock exhaustion -- all of them used to following their own agendas and calling their own shots in their individual markets.
"In general, we all tend to get to the right answer," Jermoluk said. "Although it takes a lot of my personal time and it has been a challenging experience, in the end, it has been one of ultimate agreement, going forward and getting things done."
Exclusivity expiration is a two-edged sword in that it also frees Excite@Home up to pursue business in the 40 percent of the country where it does not have cable carriage, via digital-subscriber-line or fixed-wireless networks.
The company has already begun heading down that road, especially in wireless. Besides its deals for providing content to wireless handset users, Excite@Home is in discussions to become the ISP in markets where AT&T Broadband is using wireless networks to provide "last-mile" connectivity to homes and small businesses.
"We think the core infrastructure we have gives us a huge advantage," Medin said. "We think we can really clean up, whether it's a cable loop, or a DSL loop, or wireless."
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