cheers, t
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Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 15:09:35 -0500 (EST) From: James Love <love at cptech.org> To: random-bits at venice.essential.org Subject: [Random-bits] Aaron Pressman - Kennard praises TW merger
It would appears as though FCC Chairman Kennard is sticking with his see no evil, speak no evil policy regarding cable company control over the broadband cable internet platform.
Jamie
>From aaron.pressman at reuters.com Wed Jan 19 15:06:10 2000
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 15:03:25 -0500
From: Aaron Pressman <aaron.pressman at reuters.com>
Subject: reuters on kennard and aol-twx
U.S. FCC head encouraged by AOl-Time Warner deal
WASHINGTON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - America Online's <AOL.N> proposed merger with Time Warner Inc. <TWX.N> was another "encouraging" sign that the marketplace can resolve concerns about the openness of cable high-speed Internet systems, the top U.S. communications regulator said on Wednesday.
As he has done many times in the past two years, Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard said he had no interest in having the FCC require that cable companies give Internet service providers access to their high-speed systems.
"I think it's encouraging," Kennard said at a new briefing, when asked about the AOL-Time Warner deal. "I've been saying since the very beginning of this debate that the marketplace should work this out...the signs are encouraging."
No. 1 Internet service provider AOL had previously lobbied the FCC and Congress for regulations requiring that cable companies share their high-speed lines with competitors. At the press conference announcing the Time Warner merger, AOL Chairman Steve Case committed to voluntarily opening Time Warner's lines but said he no longer thought new government rules were required.
Kennard declined to comment on his agency's expected review of the deal, saying that the companies had not yet filed for approval.
Kennard said he would carefully review AOL's written commitments to open access that would likely accompany such a filing.
"Some of the statements we've been seeing around this AOL-Time Warner transaction are encouraging," Kennard said. "Now the devil is in the details and we'll have to look and see what is really being committed to but, yes, I'm optimistic and still encouraged."
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| James Love, Consumer Project on Technology
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