MERGERS
No More Concessions, AOL, Time Warner Tell U.S. (WP)
Spectrum
Wireless Licenses Expected to Raise $15 Billion For US (NYT)
Brazil Still Optimistic on Phone Auctions (NYT)
INTERNET
Are Parents Legally Responsible for their Children's' Internet Use
(NYT)
TELEPHONY
Regulators Move To Extend Area Codes' Use
By Curbing Issue Of New Phone Numbers (WSJ)
MERGERS
NO MORE CONCESSIONS, AOL, TIME WARNER TELL U.S.
Issue:
America Online and Time Warner have made what they consider their last and
best offer to U.S. antitrust enforcers as the two sides near the end of
their negotiations over the companies' proposed merger. AOL and Time Warner
officials apparently have lost some patience with the government, telling
the Federal Trade Commission that they will budge no further, sources said.
During the negotiations, the FTC asked the companies to agree to allow a
rival Internet provider to offer its service over Time Warner's high-speed
cable television network. The FTC wants to maintain consumer choice and fair
prices among Internet service providers by ensuring that AOL's rivals have
nondiscriminatory access to Time Warner's cable system, which covers about
20 percent of the market. According to reliable sources, the FTC in turn has
informed the companies that they expect the five-member commission to vote
on the $183 billion merger next week.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Alec Klein]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41011-2000Dec7.html)
See Also
AOL, TIME WARNER PLAN STOCK OPTIONS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES OF COMBINED FIRM
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (B2), AUTHOR: Martin Peers And Julia Angwin]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB976234635921380880.htm)
SPECTRUM
WIRELESS LICENSES EXPECTED TO RAISE $15 BILLION FOR US
Issue: Spectrum
Next week the government will open an auction for the airwaves - or, at
least the spectrum for wireless communications. Already expected to become
the largest auction ever held by the federal government, the government is
preparing for what could end up being an auction worth more than $15
billion. The auction will be of 422 licenses in 195 markets, including some
of the largest and most attractive. For the large carrier, like AT&T
Wireless and Sprint PCS to fill in gaps in their service areas. "If you look
at the 15 largest markets, that's where the true battle will be," said Eric
Kintz, an associate partner in charge of the e-commerce and
telecommunications practice at Roland Berger, a management consulting firm.
"You won't reach the crazed prices that Europe reached, especially in the
United Kingdom and Germany. But you will see much more aggressive bidding in
those markets." The previous 30 auctions held by the Federal Communications
Commission throughout the last decade together produced total bids of no
more than $25 billion.
[SOURCE: New York Times (C01), AUTHOR: Stephen Labaton]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/08/technology/08SPEC.html)
(requires registration)
BRAZIL STILL OPTIMISTIC ON PHONE AUCTIONS
Issue: Spectrum
Despite waning interest in cellular phone licenses around the globe, the
Brazilian government hopes to raise at least $3.4 billion over the next
three months by selling nine licenses to offer mobile phone services. The
minimum prices on the licenses range from $273 million to $510 million,
depending on the area and the band. Although many analysts consider the
minimum bids high, the government is counting on carriers that do not yet
have a presence in Brazil, like Vodafone of Britain, to bid up the prices.
Industry experts also expect Brazil's fixed-line operators, especially local
companies owned by Telef