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

To: Midtown eBoy who wrote (27186)	7/27/1999 10:30:00 PM
From: KailuaBoy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41369

Midtown, Regarding your statement below. > Perhaps Armstrong is just trying to squeeze Case to the negotiating > table, but the risk is that it could send the @Home CEO into the > arms of AOL, for a better deal. What would that deal look like? ATHM would go to AOL and say "We want all of your customers? This is what is happening... T wants what AOL has...all of its'customers and they are beginning to get enough plant upgraded to do some serious marketing. It wasn't the same game when TCI upgraded Fremont. What are you gonna do take out an add at the Superbowl so that the Fremont AOL customers can see it and switch? Nope. You wait until you can begin to satisfy a certain percentage of the demand and then you market the hell out of it. This is just the beginning. What you are witnessing is the market realizing that the "next big thing" isn't AOL. You have confirmed that fact in your post by stating "my cable modem (@home) gets slower everyday, and after 5 pm it's no faster than my 56k." Consider that you are complaining that at certain times your cable modem even reaches the ridiculously slow speed of the maximum speed of your AOL connection. Then consider the fact that ATHM by lowering prices is pulling even with the nag that you are whipping to death...and it isn't sweating. It is smiling. This whole fiasco that is unfolding for AOL doesn't have anything to do with ATHM brilliance, T brilliance or Santee Kennard rulings. Case will get a lump of coal in his stocking this X-mas because he chose to fight to protect his customer base instead of migrating them to broadband. It appears that he would rather run the Capitol Hill steps instead of run his business. He better strike a deal or there will be a long slow death by attrition. Chat that don't chat unless everyone is on AOL and AOL.com in your email address isn't a business. KB

To: Midtown eBoy who wrote (27186)	7/27/1999 10:53:00 PM
From: Pruguy	Respond to of 41369

sounds awful risky strategy to me but I hope you are right...it would get us moving back up again, and quick

To: Midtown eBoy who wrote (27186)	7/28/1999 8:15:00 AM
From: polarisnh	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 41369

Midtown eBoy, Explain to me why the CEO of @Home would be upset with AT&T about this rumor, if it has any fact based on it. Don't think for one minute that @Home would be left in the dark on any pricing pressure direction from AT&T. I agree that if this is coming from AT&T then it is designed to get Case to stop playing his games and negotiate a reasonable contract with AT&T for backbone access. The other point that you made about this rumor maybe forcing @Home into the arms of AOL? You said it yourself, AT&T owns over 50% of ATHM. ATHM will do what AT&T tells them to do because they control the majority of the company. AT&T is simply trying to secure all of the major ISPs to backbone access contracts before they invest billions more into their infrastructure. I don't expect everybody to agree with me since their is still a faction of people who feel that AOL should be allowed to ride for free on the backbones. I don't understand that line of thinking. Cheers, Steve