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Technology Stocks : AT&T -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ian@SI who wrote (1782)	1/7/1999 10:19:00 PM
From: Ian@SI	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 4298

A nice story on the DJ Newswire... Some extracts... Ian ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ January 7, 1999 FCC's Kennard To Judge Telecom Deals' Benefits To Consumers By MARK WIGFIELD Dow Jones Newswires ... The question, he told reporters in a briefing, will be "How will this merger benefit average Americans. Not just some Americans, not just shareholders, not just people in urban areas, but all Americans, because I believe that question is the essence of the public interest." The FCC reviews mergers based on a loosely defined "public interest" standard. Kennard said that the proposed merger between the nation's dominant long distance provider AT&T Corp. (T) and cable giant Tele-Communications Inc. (TCOMA TCOMB) "has the prospect of being a very exciting transaction." The deal could help realize Congress' vision in the 1996 Telecommunications Act that cable would become a competitor in the local telephone, data and other markets. "That's what the promise of the AT&T and TCI merger is all about," he said. But significant questions remain about how soon Americans will receive the benefits. "I have asked the participants in this merger to come back to us and tell us how they will deploy these new services," Kennard said. He also wants to know whether all Americans will enjoy the benefits of the consolidation. ... FCC Chairman Kennard said he wants home Internet users to enjoy the same high-speed access they have at the office. The FCC will promote that with proposals for the Bells to offer high-speed data services through separate subsidiaries; commercial production of television set-top hardware key to enable data transmission over cable systems; and incentives for wireless services to provide data services to homes and businesses more easily. But any effort has to be "pro-competitive," Kennard said. Kennard said it's boom time for the telecommunications industry. Every major economic indicator - job growth, revenue, investment and stock values - moved "way up" in every segment of the communications industry in 1998. That is happening, he said, because the nation "has the right statutory and regulatory model. It is a model that works for the Information Age." Kennard's upbeat remarks contrasted with those made recently by members of key congressional oversight committees. ...