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Strategies & Market Trends : VOLTAIRE'S PORCH-MODERATED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (44612)	11/30/2001 8:27:10 PM
From: Cactus Jack	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 65232

wstera, Me too. jpgill

To: Sully- who wrote (44612)	11/30/2001 9:24:37 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 65232

My Note from AT&T on high speed Internet access... As you may be aware, Excite@Home, our service provider, recently filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. In order to continue providing you the quality and reliable high-speed cable Internet service that you expect, AT&T has submitted a proposal to purchase the Excite@Home network. If AT&T is able to purchase and manage the Excite@Home network, there will be no immediate change to your current service. If the network purchase is approved, we will notify you via your AT&T@Home email account as soon as possible. As a precautionary measure, AT&T Broadband also has been building its own network and service in the event that AT&T is unable to purchase the Excite@Home network. If the proposal to purchase the Excite@Home network is not approved, your service may be temporarily interrupted and it will be necessary to move your service to a new AT&T Broadband network. In any event, AT&T Broadband is deeply committed to providing you the best cable Internet service possible and communicating any upcoming changes. Be sure to frequently check the "Announcements and Updates" section of our Web site for the latest information about your service: help.broadband.att.com In the meantime, please check your AT&T Broadband email account(s) on a daily basis. Doing this will automatically save your email to your hard drive as well as ensure timely receipt of important future communications from AT&T Broadband. Also, if you use our Personal WebSpace feature, we recommend you backup your personal web page(s) by copying it to a diskette, CD, or to your computer hard drive. If migrating your service to the AT&T Broadband network and service becomes necessary, we will call to notify you of the migration timing. A message will be left on your voicemail or recorder if no one is available at the time of the call. As a precaution, we are providing you the following instructions, which will enable you to connect your computer to the new AT&T Broadband network. Again, you will only need to follow these steps in the event you receive a call from AT&T Broadband instructing you to do so. 1. Restart your computer to begin the process. 2. Open your Internet browser. You should be automatically sent to an AT&T Broadband welcome page. This page includes instructions on how to download software used to change your computer settings for the new network. If the welcome page does not automatically appear when you open your browser, please go to newuser.attbi.com (This website will only be available if the service migration is necessary). 3. Follow the instructions on the Web site to run the Automated Configuration Utility (or you can choose to change your computer settings manually). 4. The software will automatically change your Outlook Express email client, your Internet Explorer settings, and configure your computer for the new AT&T Broadband network. Information on how to manually change your settings for other email clients and Internet browsers such as Netscape Communicator and Netscape Navigator can be found at help.broadband.att.com 5. You can now surf the Internet and use email on the new AT&T Broadband Internet network and service. If migrating your service to the new network is necessary, certain aspects of your service would change. Your current homepage would feature new content and your current email address domain name would change. Please note that your username would remain the same. For example, jsmith@home.com would change to jsmith@attbi.com. If service changes are necessary, a detailed description of all changes will be provided at help.broadband.att.com in the Announcements and Updates section. Whether the Excite@Home network is purchased or your service is migrated to the new AT&T Broadband network, your Subscriber Agreement, which outlines the general Terms and Conditions of your service will change. You will be able to view the amended and restated Subscriber Agreement that will apply to the AT&T Broadband Internet service at help.broadband.att.com Your continued use of the service will constitute your acceptance of the amended and restated AT&T Broadband Internet Subscriber Agreement. If you need assistance, visit us online at help.broadband.att.com to chat with a customer care specialist. Please remember, AT&T Broadband will call you if any action is required on your part. While we realize these potential changes may cause some inconvenience, please be assured that we are doing everything possible to avoid any service disruptions. However, in the event the service is disrupted during a migration, you will receive a credit for those days of interrupted service. We are working hard to provide you with the best high-speed cable Internet service possible. We appreciate your patience and your business. Sincerely, Susan K. Marshall Senior Vice President Advanced Broadband Services

To: Sully- who wrote (44612)	12/1/2001 12:53:54 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 65232

Excite Internet Service Given Go-Ahead to Unplug Friday November 30, 11:07 pm Eastern Time By Jim Christie SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Friday that bankrupt ExciteAtHome Corp. (OTC BB:ATHMQ.OB - news) may unplug its high-speed Internet service, a move which threatens to strand some 4.1 million Internet customers around the country. Judge Thomas Carlson of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco said Excite's bondholders, fighting a $307 million buyout offer by AT&T Corp. (NYSE:T - news), should not be forced to keep the service running while they seek a better deal. The ruling left ExciteAtHomes's clients -- who represent about 45 percent of the cable modem users in North America, including small-business owners, telecommuters and students -- in limbo as lawyers went back to the bargaining table on Friday. The threatened shut-down could occur any time after midnight (3 a.m. EST) Saturday, although Carlson expressed confidence that Excite and the cable companies, which run the connections to the high-speed network, would reach an agreement preventing serious service disruptions. Analysts and regulators warned that the high-profile brinkmanship could nevertheless leave customers exasperated and slow the cable industry's push into broadband services, which is already feeling the drag of the recession in the U.S. economy. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, said any move to shutter the AtHome service -- launched six years ago as a pioneer in the drive to provide Internet access via cable lines -- would represent ``one really big step backwards.'' Lawyers representing bondholders said they had no immediate plan to shut down service, but could do so ``at a moment's notice.'' 'BURDENSOME' CONTRACTS ``Right now their intention, until we see what people are willing to do, is to continue providing service,'' attorney William Weintraub said. The cable companies, which include AT&T Broadband, Cox Communications Inc. (NYSE:COX - news) and Comcast Corp. (NasdaqNM:CMCSK - news), had sought to stop ExciteAtHome from pulling the plug, saying the millions of people who rely on the service should not be left in the lurch. But Carlson ruled Friday that ExciteAtHome, formed in a $6.7 billion merger between portal and search-engine Excite Inc. and Internet provider AtHome in 1999, should be allowed to disengage from ``burdensome'' contracts with the cable companies. Carlson rejected an immediate request by the cable companies to stay his own order Friday. Lawyers said the cable companies had taken their stay request to the 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel in Pasadena, California. Carlson's ruling set off a fresh round of talks between Excite's bondholders and the cable companies amid a warning of ''substantial impact'' on ExciteAtHome's consumer Internet service. ``Most unfortunately, the court's decision is likely to result in temporary disruptions for ExciteAtHome customers,'' Robert Sachs, president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, a trade group, said in a statement. ExciteAtHome, which until recently had exclusive deals with the major cable companies, wants a bigger slice of monthly subscriber fees. An estimated 65 percent -- or $30-- of the roughly $46 that broadband users pay each month goes to the cable companies under the contracts now up for review. TOO LITTLE ``Once rejected, the cable companies must negotiate new agreements acceptable to the company or risk the possibility that the AtHome service may be terminated,'' Excite said in a statement. The bankruptcy court ruling also increased the pressure on AT&T to offer more to buy ExciteAtHome's high-speed service. Bondholders have rejected AT&T's $307 million offer, saying the deal would leave little cash to repay creditors. The major cable companies said they would continue talks, but also announced plans to take their business elsewhere if negotiations break down. AT&T said it is prepared to move its 800,000 customers to its own high-speed Internet network within two weeks, and that it would credit customers whose service was disrupted in the event ExciteAtHome shuts down. Representatives of Cox and Comcast said they were talking with Excite, hoping to avoid service interruptions while also working to establish their own back-up networks. Attempting to capitalize on the confusion, DirecTV's broadband unit said it would offer two free months of high-speed Internet service at no charge to cable users who sign year-long contracts. EXPLOSIVE GROWTH Excite had a period of explosive growth and credited with helping to advance the Internet from a text-based service to one featuring rich images and sounds. But it also struggled to shed loss-making media operations and its deepening problems were seen as a sign of the tougher market for broadband Internet services, which have only penetrated about 10 percent of U.S. households. ExciteAtHome, which filed for bankruptcy in late September, briefly stopped providing Internet access in October, but resumed after reaching interim agreements with the cable companies. Analysts said the judge's decision boosted pressure on all sides to find a way out of their impasse. ``I think there's going to be a lot of late night negotiations from the cable side,'' AG Edwards analyst Mike Kupinski said. Joe Laszlo. of Jupiter Media Metrix, said the shutdown threat was a negotiating tactic by creditors. ``They don't want it to shut down as much as getting AT&T back to the table. It's still a dangerous game from consumers' standpoint and cable operators' standpoint. The game is continuing,'' he said.