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 : The *NEW* Frank Coluccio Technology Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Crossy who wrote (20288)	3/17/2007 9:46:51 PM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 46821

Hi Crossy, An interesting post on several counts. You noted: "Judging from the recent valuations and presentations of LVLT and TWTC etc.. the sector has never been healthier since the telecom meltdown of the early 21st century." If capitalization were the sole indicator of sector health (which I believe we've learned could be misleading) and if the other companies shown in the same slide you are alluding to (No. 10) experienced levels comparable to LVLT (102%) and TWTC (95%), then I'd be inclined to agree with you. But at the other end of the spectrum we see an average 0.0% between the last two entries, TU and S. But, on average, the numbers were up, I grant you that. Concerning Robert C. Atkinson, I commented on him just the other day in a another forum, calling for caution, i.e., not to cofuse his name and works with those of another Robert "D." Atkinson, who is the president of ITIF, whose research mission overlaps with that of Robert C's CIMI out of Columbia University. I wrote: "Speaking of names, it's worth noting that there are two Robert Atkinsons in this space who are often confused. Robert D. Atkinson presides over ITIF. Robert C. Atkinson, on the other hand, is Director of Policy Research at The Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI), a Columbia University-based research center focusing on strategy, management, and policy issues in telecommunications, computing, and electronic mass media. Given the similarity of their organizations' missions they are sometimes confused. The cause for the latter cautionary note was Robert D. Atkinson's recent release of a paper along with Andrew McKay, which I had intended, but forgot, to post here in SI. So, thanks for the reminder: "Digital Prosperity: Understanding the Economic Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution" By ROBERT D. ATKINSON & ANDREW S. MCKAY - March 2007 itif.org As to the "founding" of the Teleport Communications Group, your attribution to Robert C. Atkinson is interesting, if not incorrect. The genesis of TCG is interesting from several perspectives. Its formation, or founding, resulted from the combined investments of NY City, the Port Authority of NJ&NY, Western Union, and probably most influentially from a financial perspective, Merrill Lynch Telecommunications. ML at the time already had the underpinnings of a downtown (Wall Street District) fiber optic network in place, which was leveraged by TCG for its rights of way and existing inventory of routes and end points served. More interestingly, another individual who is often cited as being the founder of TCG, its first appointed president, was Robert Annunziata. For several years prior to TCG's founding Bob was a senior member of AT&T's financial accounts team charged with overseeing Merrill Lynch. Equally influential as Bob's input in the founding of TCG were several financial officers from ML who also went over to TCG to become the company's financial management and, from what I could tell, took on an influential role in TCG's overall governance, as well. So pinpointing the actual person (or entity) responsible for TCG's "founding" is not easy to say, and is often left to the impreciseness of folk lore. Although, knowing Bob Annunziata as I do, I'd place my bets on him as having been the most influential party in the company's founding. Robert C. Atkinson, on the other hand, was appointed to head TCG's regulatory staff very early on. Some twenty or so years ago I had many occasions to meet with each Bob, sometimes both at once, on behalf of my financial clients. In a previous life I worked hand in hand with Bob A. at AT&T's international offices in NY City, fwiw. And so it went. FAC