May 2004

5/28/04
Bloomberg: "Verizon Communications Inc., the biggest US local-telephone company, is trying to retain customers by allowing some of them to keep high-speed Internet service when they cut their phone line and go wireless.

US lawmakers to schedule hearings on cellphone directory.

ABI Research study finds that wireless broadband is already viable for enterprises.

California judge approves Verizon Wireless settlement.

Accenture, AT&T team to sell managed messaging

Texas regulators dealt SBC Communications Inc. a double setback Thursday by lowering the fees it can charge competitors and requiring the company to disclose a deal with a rival that it had said shouldn't be made public.

CNN/Money looks at VOIP rush: "Telephones are evolving into Internet gizmos. Will making the switch save you money?"

AT&T launches VOIP conferencing service.

RCN, a telecommunications upstart that bundles phone, cable and high-speed Internet services in seven large metro markets including New York, filed for bankruptcy protection and said it has support from creditors for a restructuring plan.

Nextel hopes for spectrum decision in 30 days.

5/27/04
Comcast will introduce VOIP service next year. Company hopes to have 40 million customers by 2006.

Verizon Communications will soon become the second Baby Bell in the United States to offer broadband to consumers regardless of whether those customers also buy its local phone service.

In NY, Verizon network sale drawing concern.

Qwest defeats shareholder proposals.

In NJ, Verizon is pressing state regulators to reconsider a decision made last month on wholesale phone rates.

San Francisco Chronicle looks at the debate over whether state should regulate wireless.

5/26/04
Comcast and T-Mobile to offer wireless Internet service in Philadelphia neighborhood. First six months will be free.

Should VOIP be regulated? Some lawmakers seem to think so. "Three Republican federal lawmakers are urging the Federal Communications Commission to rule that VOIP services are "interstate in nature," arguing that such a determination would bring VOIP technology under FCC jurisdiction and away from state regulators," reports TechWeb.

VOIP "goes retail."

Brian L. Roberts to become chairman of Comcast.

NY Times: T-Mobile gaining spectrum by ending Cingular Venture.

Bloomberg: NextWave Telecom Inc. won approval of a settlement with U.S. regulators that resolves a six-year dispute over a $4.3-billion debt for airwave licenses purchased at government auctions.

2004: The year broadband became ordinary in Europe.

UPI looks at number portability problems in rural areas.

SBC strike is over.

In California, "static rises as telecom bill nears PUC vote."

Cingular to sell wireless units.

5/25/04
Atlantic Broadband launches service in western Pennsylvania.

Reuters: AT&T Corp. asks a federal court to delay its decision eliminating rules requiring local U.S. telephone companies to lease parts of their networks at reduced rates pending an appeal.

VOIP going mobile.

Verizon Communications "market perform."

Analysts contend that Verizon's sale of Hawaii operations is latest sign that wireless is the way to go.

Reuters: Nextel sees spectrum alternative unworkable.

AT&T's Dorman "Details Company's Transformation at Banc of America Conference."

VOIP momentum picks up. "Speculative fever hit the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sector for the first time in months on Monday," reports Internetnews.com.

Lucent to pay just under $300 million for VOIP company.

AOL plans new advertising blitz for its broadband service.

Former WorldCom CEO Ebbers faces more charges.
Atlantic Broadband launches service in western Pennsylvania.

Research report contends that "Americans' migration from dial-up to broadband ramps-up competition between cable and DSL providers."

Reuters reports progress in SBC labor talks as strike continues.

AP: "Online retailers collectively made a profit last year for the first time, as sales jumped a better-than-expected 51 percent, in a sign of continued resilience in e-commerce, an industry survey released today found."

5/24/04
Verizon Hawaii sold for $1.65 billion.

NY Times: "Qwest, the Runt of the Bells, Tries to Stand Its Ground."

Nextel lobbies for bigger share of cellular space.

In NJ, Verizon will offer super-fast Internet service over a new fiber-optic network in parts of seven Bergen County towns this year as part of a nationwide rollout that began Wednesday in Texas.

San Jose Mercury News: "AT&T's new CallVantage service for making unlimited phone calls through the Internet is nothing less than a breakthrough."

President Bush "gets serious" about broadband.

NY Times: "Starting Monday, cellphone users in rural America will be able to switch carriers and take their numbers with them."

The NY Times looks at the Internet - next generation: "Internet2, the next generation, with enough broadband capacity to transmit huge quantities of data, makes it possible for musicians to join forces from great distances."

5/21/04
A sign of the times: "The Pennsylvania Cable Television Association has changed its name to the Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania, reflecting the growing importance of broadband Internet service to the cable industry," says The Patriot-News.

A sign of the times, Take II: "It's not just talk: Internet telephone service is booming, and options are plentiful," reports The Star-Telegram.

AP: "The government will have more time to decide whether to ask the Supreme Court to revive rules that were designed to encourage competition for local telephone service."

ZDNet: "States, feds headed for VoIP clash."

ZDNet: "Net phone service provider Vonage has vowed to battle a recent ruling that classified it as a telephone company and thus subject to some of New York's regulations." Article cites Pennsylvania, possible FCC action.

The Post: "The Federal Communications Commission has pulled back its approval of a plan backed by Nextel Communications Inc. to secure valuable new airwaves on which to transmit its phone traffic, sources close to the commission said."

SBC workers begin four-day strike.

Patient investors in NextWave Telecom could see huge return.

5/20/04
Allentown Morning Call: "Internet phone service expands."

LA Times: "After years of anonymity, the numbers of most of the nation's mobile phones will be compiled later this year in the first wireless directory." Rep. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., has introduced a bill to restrict wireless subscriber directories.

Reuters: "Verizon, BellSouth pull out of phone fee talks."

Shareholders approve sale of AT&T Wireless.

IT World: "Voice over IP (VoIP) technology may well usher in a new communication paradigm for the enterprise, but it could also be tough on telecom service providers."

Juniper Research: Voice-over-IP (VoIP) to Account for Over 12% of All Telephony Revenues by 2009.

Poor service forces Verizon rebates in NY.

New York classifies Vonage as phone company.

Verizon to sell video over fiber in 2005.

Verizon limits New Jersey upgrades.

5/19/04
MSN's Money Central: "Bringing broadband over local power lines may be the means by which high-speed Internet access becomes universally available."

AT&T & Sprint to offer wireless in joint project.

AT&T said yesterday it plans to offer wireless phone service throughout the United States using Sprint's cellular network.

Verizon pushes fiber network while rivals wait.

Qwest Communications International could shed as many as 5,000 more jobs.

In New York, "Con Edison, Cablevision and Focal are just some of the unlikely companies looking to disconnect the city's Verizon contract" says The NY Daily News.

Competitors File in Michigan to Preserve UNEs.

TelCove supports Pennsylvania's commitment to broadband infrastructure projects for underserved areas.

InfoHighway and Verizon sign letter of intent for wholesale enterprise (DS1) services.

AT&T leaps back into wireless service.

5/18/04
AP: Regulators want to tap unused broadcast airwaves to expand wireless services.

FCC Chairman Powell makes case for "regulation-free" Internet telephone calls.

TechNewsWorld: "Even if Nextel ends up with the spectrum it wants, the eventual cost may be higher than it would like if Washington decides that an auction is needed, some analysts say."

BusinessWeek.com: "Net phones have a hard time locating the source of 911 calls -- and that could be a good reason for keeping a wireline backup."

IBM and Cisco join forces for VOIP offering.

Boardwatch looks at study that predicts enterprise VOIP will double in 2004.

5/17/04
Reuters: Internet phone service Vonage hits 155,000 users.

NY Times: "Mobile phone users have in recent years enjoyed plummeting rates for local and long-distance calling thanks to new technology and fierce competition among cellular companies. Now several entrepreneurs want to use Internet technology to reduce to pennies the cost of using cellphones to call overseas."

Bloomberg: "Rule that allows keeping same number has limited turnover."

The Wi-Fi phone could bring monthly wireless bill down to ... nothing. "You still need the infrastructure to be put in place. It's not going to be completely free," said Fairborz Ghadar of Penn State University. "But it will force competitive price erosion from the wireless companies, as people use the phones to bypass Verizon and SBC."

Chaotic wireless business will get only get worse.

Cox Declares VOIP 'Ready for Prime Time."

5/14/04
ZDNet: "For the first time, the number of broadband subscribers in the United States has passed the amount of people who subscribe to America Online or one of its affiliates."

Reuters: Verizon applying for cable franchises-report.

The Street.com: "MCI is taking the direct approach in its fierce struggle with AT&T."

Covad helps AT&T provide DSL.

MCI's Capellas looks to all-IP future.

Lucent wins VoIP deal with BellSouth.

Radio Shack goes into the VOIP market. "RadioShack has started selling Vonage's voice over Internet Protocol services in nearly 4,000 of its retail stores in the United States," reports CNET News.

Internet service provider Expedient Holdings USA LLC is moving to Pittsburgh.

5/13/04
Boardwatch: "Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg today called on Congress to enact a major reform to create a new policy for the broadband era."

MCI to make a $8.1 million severance payment to former exec who worked just seven months for the company.

ZDNet: DSL providers added the greatest number of new residential customers in history last quarter but only marginally gained market share against their cable rivals, according to a study released Tuesday.

The broadband market logs its most impressive growth--2.34 million new users--in the first quarter, new study indicates.

Verizon poised to sell Hawaiian telephone operations to Carlyle Group.

New cell phone service taps Internet for VOIP.

5/12/04
Experimental service from Nextel gives users more mobility and speed.

Dallas Morning News: "This is the year for Internet telephony, Texas Instruments Inc. believes."

AT&T is getting into the DSL business in California in a move that will provide an alternative to high-speed Internet services from SBC and Comcast Cable.

Consumers Union says AT&T Wireless led the industry in complaints.

Nextel tells FCC compromise plan in the works just won't work.

Lockheed Martin sells satellite telecom unit.

AP: A contract between SBC Communications Inc. and a labor union representing 100,000 workers is being extended on a day-to-day basis, a union spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Philadelphia Inquirer looks at competitive wireless market.

5/11/04
Reuters: AT&T Corp. said Monday that it had saved $250 million since 2000 by using a now-banned strategy of paying lower fees on some long-distance calls by sending them partly over the Internet."

Verizon launches a long-haul IP VPN service "aimed at large business, education and government customers."

Regulators dial in on AT&T prepaid calls.

Verizon Wireless urges FCC and States to protect consumers' right to switch telecom companies while keeping their phone numbers.

MCI to cut 7,500 after posting 1st-qtr. loss.

Report: "The deployment of Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VOIP) technologies by U.S. telecom competitors will materially erode local exchange revenues over the next decade, according to a new study by Fitch Ratings."

Bloomberg: 31 carriers submit proposal to pay less for Qwest lines.

Citigroup agrees to a settlement over WorldCom.

5/10/04
AP: "Now that some Wi-Fi "hot spots" have grown into broader neighborhood "hot zones," the next wave is waiting: Phones and gear that send conversations over wireless Internet networks - for free or at a fraction of the cost of traditional calls."

MCI expands VOIP service using DSL.

Reuters: MCI shares might be worth a second look.

Report focuses on wireless security issues.

Sprint launches a $100 million advertising blitz today in support of its new wireless concept called Fair & Flexible.

5/7/04
"Increased sales of high-speed Internet access, enhanced services and a general increase in phone use helped Dallas, Pa.-based Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Inc. maintain stable revenue and earnings in the first quarter of 2004," says The Scranton Times.

VOIP, wireless could spur Baby Bell negotiations: "Negotiations between the Baby Bells and competitive carriers are getting stickier--but threats from newer technologies like wireless and Net telephony could force the two sides to iron things out."

USDA announces $190 million in loans for rural broadband.

Calpers withholds votes from 5 AT&T board nominees.

Are Baby Bells aiming to encourage rivals to use their gear?

Nextel & FCC continue to spar over "prime cellular spectrum."

Reuters: SBC denies hampering access talks with rivals.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Computer network security could be a source for new jobs and economic development in the state, with Pittsburgh as a focal point, according to local academic, business and political leaders."

5/6/04
Qwest claims AT&T shortchanged it on use fees, sues for millions. "The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver on Wednesday, alleges that AT&T used the local carrier's network while also routing long-distance calls over its own high-speed Internet backbone," The Denver Post reports.

FCC unveils wireless broadband access task force.

Small Business Consulting looks at allure of VOIP in the small business community.

Comcast says cable rate hikes might start to slow down.

In Canada, phone companies face Internet threat as VOIP grows.

5/5/04
Wireless boom continues.

The Boston Globe looks at broadband broadside: "As DSL gains on cable in providing Net services, Verizon launches its attack."

The Financial Times: "The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday issued a stark warning to US telecom groups that a wave of competition from internet-based telephone calls would turn the industry on its head."

Verizon Communications introduces faster DSL services in a bid to compete more aggressively against its cable rivals.

AT&T Wireless launches Yahoo photo service.

In NY, state says AT&T has agreed to suspend monthly charge in disputed billings.

Florida AG sues AT&T.

Power failure causes Verizon network to shut down, stopping lottery sales.

Reuters: SBC fights to keep network access talks private.

SBC Communications moves to clear state regulatory impediments to additional commercial wholesale agreements.

5/4/04
At New Orleans trade show, "The effort by the cable companies to make deeper inroads into telephone services by using Internet technology will be the No. 1 topic," says The New York Times.

In Virginia, government regulation seen as barrier to expansion of broadband.

Comcast launches Comcast Home Networking.

From AT&T To Z-Tel: Carrier VOIP returns.

AT&T plans overseas drive for VOIP, says Financial Times.

In Virginia, Verizon to issue refunds to some of its customers.

Florida paves way for VOIP taxation.

CEOs lobby against federal role in cable-TV pricing, content.

5/3/04
PPL expands Internet service, "... a milestone in the evolution of BPL -- broadband over power lines" reports The Morning Call.

InternetWeek: "According to new research from the Yankee Group, 54 percent of enterprises surveyed said they are testing or evaluating VoIP for their business."

Los Angeles Times: "A proposal by AT&T gives some people hope for an end to the war between the Baby Bells and their competitors."

Internet phone service attracts wider use.

Comcast's failed Disney bid shouldn't hurt the company.

The Boston Globe posts a Q&A with AT&T chief David Dorman on the allure of VOIP.

BellSouth rejects AT&T's offer on UNE pricing.

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