Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : America On-Line (AOL) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/15/1999 8:19:00 PM
From: Tom Tallant	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

Kailua Boy, <Remeber Rome?> Yeah...it wasn't built in a day. The thing that ATHM threaders aren't realizing is that AOL 1) Isn't out to get them 2) Their strategy is not to go full tilt into cable but to explore and develop as many ways as they can for access. They are not as concerned with how you get to AOL but rather that you do. That includes satellite, dial-up, cable and dsl. "AOL Anywhere" not "AOL Cable King". As far as stock price is concerned...I would think you would like to see AOL rise...it is characteristic that the group rises and falls together. Regards, Tom

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/15/1999 8:59:00 PM
From: Ed Forrest	Respond to of 41369

>I'm looking forward to the day when Case buys a cable company and reverses the "Open Access" blather. I'd like to see that spin.< It will be so good that even you will be nodding your head and yelling "Your right Steve" :-) Ed Forrest

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/15/1999 9:09:00 PM
From: Ed Forrest	Respond to of 41369

>All the while cable broadband churn rates are next to ZERO.< @Home has 24 more hours to fix my system or the "churn" rate moves away from the next to zero to the + neighborhood. Ed Forrest

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/15/1999 9:11:00 PM
From: Ed Forrest	Respond to of 41369

>No offense but it appears that the conversation here centers around what the stock is going to do tomorrow and who got in 1/4 of a point lower. Remeber Rome?< What do you suggest that we as the SI AOL board do about the 3 talking points you mention? Ed Forrest

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/15/1999 11:43:00 PM
From: Islander99	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

3. All the while cable broadband churn rates are next to ZERO. People love it and they leave for only one of two reasons, they either die or they move to an area not yet upgraded. How's AOL churn lately? I am a subscriber to both ATHM and AOL. I buy ATHM for its wonderful download speeds and AOL for its wonderful community. The reasons churn rates are next to zero for ATHM are two-fold: 1) The speed is so much better than the alternative. 2) It's still in high-cost introductory mode and the people who want speed the most and are willing to pay any price for speed are subscribing. Not sure what the latest subscriber numbers are, but I suspect we'll still talking a 20-1 or 30-1 dominance by AOL over ATHM. ATHM is attracting early-adopters and power users who must have speed. AOL is attracting an audience 20 times or more the size of ATHM of people who want to talk with their communities. As ATHM deploys further, it will be interesting to see how deeply it can penetrate markets other than early-adopters willing to pay for the speed. Does anyone have any figures on what ATHM's projections are for customers? --Islander99

To: KailuaBoy who wrote (22460)	6/16/1999 9:54:00 AM
From: David E. Taylor	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 41369

KB: I think you're jumping to some unwarranted conclusions: (1) Where did you get the idea that AOL wants a free ride on AT&T's cable systems? AOL isn't getting a free ride from the telcos for ADSL, just a negotiated cut of the monthly access charges. If they get cable access, they'll assuredly cut deals with AT&T et al along the same lines. That's not "welfare", just a business deal that benefits both parties. ATHM isn't getting a free ride with the cable companies and neither will anyone else. (2) What do expect AOL/Case to do in the face of AT&T's announced intentions to dominate the cable business with a monopoly of bundled services and exclude other ISP's and content providers like AOL? Sure AOL and others will recruit whatever political help they can get. AT&T and the cable industry clearly have gained the ear of the FCC Chairman, and they have their lobbyists and allies in DC as well. (3) AOL is not in the business of building telephone and cable infrastructure, and IMO, they'd be nuts to even consider it. You seem to hold the opinion that only those willing to invest in the cable infrastructure should be allowed to use it. You need to think of the internet as a utility, with suppliers who have the commodity (content) that people want, distributors who can deliver that commodity nationwide, and local distributors who take the supply and deliver it to the end users. If you look at the internet in this way, you'll see that there's room for all kinds of businesses with an emphasis in any one or all parts of it. In the current deregulatory climate, I just don't see AT&T or any other company being allowed to gain a monopoly of the cable part of the delivery system. That's why I've said before that I think it's far preferable that AT&T recognize this and get on with cutting business deals, but I guess they have to play out the appeal process on the Portland decision first. David T.