US West wins federal endorsement of long-distance plan
Article Abstract:
The Justice Department recommends adoption of a plan that would allow US West to provide long-distance telephone service to locations outside its 14-state operating region via cable television systems. US West is the first Baby Bell to win approval for extra-regional marketing, and Justice is tempering its decision by limiting the company to offering long-distance only to those customers who also buy its local telephone services. US West is further limited to competing in markets with established local telephone carriers. US West's 25.5% interest in Time Warner give it access to more cable television outlets than any other Bell company. US West is negotiating with Time Warner to gain control of the cable systems, which would give the company access to 10 million cable subscribers. Justice's endorsement must be approved by Federal Judge Harold. H. Greene, who monitors the consent degree that dissolved the Bell System.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1995
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Telecommunications bill signed, and new round of battles starts
Article Abstract:
Pres Clinton has signed the controversial telecommunications bill which eliminates regulatory barriers in long-distance, local telephone and cable markets. It also requires television manufacturers to include violence blocking capabilities in new television sets and censors material deemed indecent on the Internet. Intense legal battles are expected against the provisions that impose prison terms and fines on individuals who make indecent sexual material available over computer networks. Pres Clinton increased pressure on television broadcasters to develop a method of rating violence on shows. This rating system would then be transmitted via a signal, which can be used to block violent programs. The biggest battle is expected to occur between local Bell telephone companies and long-distance carriers.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
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Why fix phones that aren't broken?
Article Abstract:
The greatest contribution of the telecommunications bill is that it may get the government out of the way of an evolving industry. Neither the government or the long-distance telephone, cable and local service carriers have been able to predict which technologies will become popular. Both large corporations and the government were unprepared for the explosive growth of the Internet. This lack of awareness demonstrates how far removed Congress is from what the future could bring. Still, the bill before Congress has support from a diverse group of industries and both the Democratic and Republican parties. The bill centers around the effort to deregulate the telephone companies, and its net result is to allow local and long-distance telephone and cable television carriers to enter each other's markets.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1995
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- Abstracts: US West's Continental ambitions; thanks to communications law, a Baby Bell presses to be a cable power. Have's and have-not's revisited: rich nations talk high-tech, but the poor live no-tech
- Abstracts: Innovations on Internet deliver news and the mail. (Jfax Communications, Progressive Networks debut Internet messaging services) (Internet