[Random-bits] Aaron Pressman - Kennard praises TW merger

[James Love]

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@reuters.com Wed Jan 19 15:06:10 2000
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 15:03:25 -0500
From: Aaron Pressman <aaron.pressman@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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