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 : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jay Lowe who wrote (5200)	2/8/1999 8:24:00 AM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 29970

Jay, >> ATHM is 100% aligned within the NewMedia goalset.The telcos are simply not highly aligned toward that goal. Even AOL is not 100% aligned with the necessary future...I wonder what things are like inside the halls of T these days?<< ATHM and the telcos are two separate species of animal life. They can attempt to fit into one another's shoes right now, but it will take some time for them to learn to wear new skins. ATHM does not have the burden of providing dial tone to the elderly and the poor. They don't support services in areas in which they deem to be unprofitable, or at least they try not to, and they certainly don't share their resources with their competitors. There has been much said and done in this regard recently on their behalf by T [witness the formation by AOL and their peers of the Open Net Alliance in response], which is the other part of your question. T still remembers what ubiquitous and responsible telephone service provision is all about. In that sense, T may well need to re-orient itself for profitability in the last mile in ways in which it was not accustomed to during the pre-divestiture era, forcing them to use new assumptions and associated trajectories in their planning processes. As long as they are able to maintain a non-common carrier status, or even the status of a non-dominant carrier, they can do this. But it seems that they're hell-bent on going in for another swim, given their goals to supplant the RBOCs in this venue. They are walking a very thin line stepping into the future, between being an MSO and a being that of a carrier, IMO, which they don't want to be classified as right now. However, this classification will inevitably catch up with them at some point if and when they are successful at multi-service convergence . What's the saying? Watch out for what you ask for? What goalset?, indeed. Regards, Frank Coluccio