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

To: trouthead who wrote (1926)	2/9/1999 2:57:00 PM
From: lml	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4298

It don't work like that. The pipes are the "first" level upon which a level of service may be established. The word "pipe" includes not only include the hybrid fiber-optic (HFC) cable, but also the amplifiers & switches that exist to form the cableco's HFC plant between the subscriber's modem & the headend. Opening the pipes simply means allowing ISPs in addition to ATHM to provide the gateway to the Internet which is just beyond the headend at the cableco's tranmission facilities. Remember it is T (& in the past TCI) that has financed the plant upgrades. ATHM is merely the provider of Internet access. I believe their facilities, exclusive of the modem on the subscriber's premises begin at the headend & are not a component of the HFC plant. One level of service issue to be addressed going forward is the financial incentive of the cableco to improve the plant as subscriber useage of Internet access increases to the point that service is diminished. If today you have 200 users on a node, & that number grows to 1000 over 2 years, what incentive does the cableco have to increase the # of nodes to service the franchise area? This IMHO is when the FCC may step in to foster greater competition. But keep in mind here, we're talkin' hardware & physical infrastructure. This is an area that AOL service over cable will not necessarily improve. JMO.