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To: GraceZ who wrote (28771)	7/29/2001 10:56:53 PM
From: GraceZ	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 29970

Enter Softy: Microsoft set to foil AOL cable bid - FT LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is determined to prevent AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL - news) acquiring or buying a stake in AT&T's (NYSE:T - news) cable business, the Financial Times reported on Monday. It quoted people close to Microsoft as saying the company was prepared to use its financial muscle to encourage alternative bids for the AT&T broadband division, rather than see AOL become the dominant player in the U.S. cable market. Microsoft increasingly viewed AOL as its primary rival in the consumer Internet sector, and following the apparent failure of Comcast's (NasdaqNM:CMCSK - news) $52 billion bid for the AT&T Broadband division, it was keen to stop AT&T's talks with AOL succeeding, the FT said. With its cash pile of more than $50 billion, Microsoft could well afford to acquire the AT&T division itself, but the software company had no interest in entering the cable business, Microsoft executives insisted, the newspaper said. But Microsoft realised that combining AT&T's cable operations with those of AOL would create an industry giant with about 29 million subscribers, or approximately 40 percent of the U.S. market. The FT said this could place AOL in control of one of the most promising means of delivering advanced Internet services to U.S. consumers. It would also create a significant barrier to Microsoft's ambitions to reach beyond the personal computer screen with electronic commerce, information and entertainment services. biz.yahoo.com