The View from America Online
'''AOL has to do something quickly,''' (News: Analysis & Commentary, May 17) notes and then dismisses that we have agreements with Bell Atlantic and SBC Communications to provide high-speed Internet access to members using digital subscriber-line technology (DSL). With these pacts, America Online will serve members across Bell Atlantic's and SBC's areas, and we expect to announce more such deals in the future.
We will offer the upgrade to faster access for approximately $20 extra per month. With AOL's unlimited pricing plan of $21.95 a month, AOL members would be able to receive faster service over DSL for approximately $40 a month, which is certainly competitive with any cable pricing in the market today.
While DSL deals are an important part of AOL's broadband strategy, we anticipate working with a range of technologies--cable, wireless, and satellite--for high-speed connectivity. This summer we will roll out DSL, and as new broadband solutions become ready, we will be providing members additional options across a range of technologies--aggregating broadband connectivity from multiple providers to create a national footprint. In turn, prices will come down, and consumer adoption of broadband will be accelerated.
Bob Pittman
President and COO
America Online Inc.
Dulles, Va.
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