Ed,
I found your characterizations of Armbender interesting and telling, from a number of angles.
"Armstrong has shown he is a fine negotiator and deal maker. Now we need to see him carry out and meet his visionary plan for T, and of course, our ATHM. I have to admit, I like Armstrong. He is impressive when interviewed, and has that friendly, grandfatherly look about him. Who wouldn't trust a face like that? He will schmooze his way through the upcoming regulatory concerns, just like he did with arranging the MediaOne deal."
Indeed, he's a schmoozer, alright. And as you say who wouldn't trust him with a face like that? He may cut through the regulatory stuff unscathed, just as he was able to paint a credible picture of what he could do with HFC. But those are two different worlds, politics and technology, each in their purist forms demanding of different skill sets. Me thinks he's used his hype and charm to the extreme, at times, to influence the outcome of the latter, using the skills of the former.
T's tacit postponements of the VoIP over cable direction is but the beginning of what I'm referring to. Watch for additional smoke screens (new statements of direction, and deals from alternative perspectives) that will be used to obfuscate previous statements of direction, as they find out, down close, just how challenging the old TCI coaxial jungle can be. T certainly has the skills required to recognize and correct those conditions, with sufficient time and capital, but they may take more time than that which was stipulated on Armbender's initial promisories. |
