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

To: Ed Forrest who wrote (26212)	7/21/1999 4:06:00 PM
From: Joe S Pack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

William Kennard and his bias. I copied this from ATHM thread. To: +Michael L (12810 ) From: +briand Wednesday, Jul 21 1999 3:43PM ET Reply # of 12820 Michael, Here is the response to the fcc... Statement From the OpenNET Coalition in Response to William Kennard's Announcement That FCC Would Intervene On Behalf of AT&T Against the People of Portland WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1999--The openNET Coalition, a group of more than 200 Independent Service Providers battling for competition in high-speed cable access to the Internet, today issued the following statement in response to a speech by FCC Chairman William Kennard before the Federal Communications Bar Association yesterday. In the speech, Kennard announced that the FCC will intervene in the appeal of a federal lawsuit over whether local communities can require cable television companies to open their new high-speed network to competing ISPs. The case pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is the appeal of a ruling last month by a federal court in favor of Portland, Oregon. The court ruled that local communities have the authority to require AT&T and other cable corporations to sell access to cable lines to competitors. Kennard said he wanted to "explain to the court why it's important that we have a national policy." Greg Simon, co-director of the openNET Coalition, responded today to the speech, saying: "We are astonished that a high public official would put the federal government at the service of a massive communications corporation as William Kennard has done. This is not just about jurisdiction, it is about abdication of responsibility. If Kennard wants the FCC to have jurisdiction, then the FCC needs to have a policy. But Kennard has refused to make policy, saying he preferred the government to keep its 'hands off.' "Doing nothing while AT&T turns a cable monopoly into an Internet monopoly is not a policy, it's surrender. It is a stall to allow AT&T time to build a new high-speed cable monopoly. The FCC helping AT&T to oppose competitive Internet services is like a referee taking sides in the middle of a fight. "This is not just about the FCC filing a legal brief. Kennard took sides only days after the federal court ruled in Portland's favor and he didn't just announce that the FCC would take the side of AT&T and cable. He made this announcement at a national cable convention to an audience of those who would financially benefit most from his decision. "Since then, he has given interviews to the press, briefed editorial boards, lobbied the mayor of San Francisco and taken a extremely aggressive public position on the FCC's decision to support AT&T - what he calls 'hands off.' "But 'hands off' does not help local officials faced with AT&T's bullying and threatening, lobbying and suing. 'Hands off' does not help consumers who know that cable rates have skyrocketed 22 percent over the last few years and rates for cable Internet access will do the same. 'Hands off' does not help anyone but AT&T. "After Kennard spoke at the cable convention, a variety of well-respected, well-known consumer advocates went to talk to him and complain about a position that will hurt consumers. According to consumer representatives, Kennard refused to consider their position, their concerns or their legitimate defense of consumer interests and was inflexible in his defense of AT&T. "All of this leads us to ask, what is going on? Why doesn't the FCC make a policy? Why doesn't the FCC listen to consumers and small business? Why is Kennard so strident in his active, legal defense of AT&T? Consumers and businesses should be asking the same thing." For more information on the openNET Coalition, contact www.opennetcoalition.org. CONTACT: openNET Coalition by Ignition Strategic Communications Sydney Rubin, 202/244-1200 -Nat

To: Ed Forrest who wrote (26212)	7/21/1999 4:09:00 PM
From: Pat Garaffa	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

I find it highly unlikely that AOL will announce a split. They were trading nearly 30 dollars higher on the day of the last earnings announcement and they left it as is. Also, a split now would amount to 3 within the past 9 months. Something they have never attempted in the past. But then again, who is going to argue with success. I would sure love to double up once again!