TELECOM Digest     Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:15:00 EST    Volume 26 : Issue 4

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    NYC School Cell Phone Solution Sought (Nahal Toosi, AP)
    Another View on the Largest Telecom Merger in History (Stephen Neiser)
    CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update (communicationsdirect_daily)
    Showtime Networks Delivers Games to Broadband (USTelecom dailyLead)
    The Best Phone Company in America (Jim Haynes)
    Re: EarthLink CEO Dead at Age 49 (Henry Cabot Henhouse III)
    Re: Telephone Building Web Page (Diamond Dave)

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Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:50:57 -0600
From: Nahal Toosi, AP  <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: NYC School Cell Phone Solution Sought

 
By NAHAL TOOSI
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK -- After months of outrage over a ban on cell phones in the
nation's largest school system, officials are now signaling that there
may be room for compromise.

They are exploring whether to install special lockers outside schools
to store the devices, a development that delayed recent court
arguments on the ban.

But questions remain about the logistics of such a system in a school
district with so many students -- and so many students who use cell
phones.

"I wish it would work, but I just know it won't," said Dorothy Giglio,
a co-president of the Parent Teacher Association at James Madison High
School. "I have almost 4,300 students in my building. I cannot
envision 4,300 lockers in front of the building."

The locker proposal follows New York's move last year to step up its
scrutiny of what gets in and out of schools -- a move aimed primarily
at finding weapons. Along the way, schools confiscated thousands of
student cell phones. Students have responded by sneaking phones inside
their lunches and under their clothes. Students also sometimes pay
neighborhood stores small fees to hold their phones for them during
the school day.

Parents insist they need to stay in touch with their children in case
of emergencies like Sept. 11. They have sued the city over the ban,
and sent dozens of angry e-mails to officials.

School officials, as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, argue that cell
phones are a distraction and could be used for nefarious purposes,
including cheating.

New York has more than 1,400 schools and 1.1 million students.

The school system said that if it decides to install lockers, students 
will probably be charged for their use, perhaps a quarter or 50 cents 
each time.

"We're trying to make a real effort to be responsive to parents who
felt that we were not concerned about their ability to reach their
kids and their kids' ability to reach them while at the same time not
compromising on our commitment not to let cell phones in the school
doors," schools spokesman David Cantor said.  

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines each day, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 15:56:18 -0600
From: Stephen Heiser <iptelephony@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Another View on the Largest Telecom Merger in History


FCC Greenlights AT&T Merger With Bellsouth

Commission Concludes That Significant Public Interest Benefits Are
Likely to Result

by Stephen Heiser

Tues, January 2, 2007

The Federal Communications Commission last week approved the merger of 
AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp. The Commission concluded that significant 
public interest benefits are likely to result from this transaction. 
Benefits to consumers include:

 -- Deployment of broadband throughout the entire AT&T-BellSouth in-region 
territory in 2007.

 -- Increased competition in the market for advanced pay television 
services due to AT&T's ability to deploy Internet Protocol-based video 
services more quickly than BellSouth could do so absent the merger.

 --  Improved wireless products, services and reliability due to the 
efficiencies gained by unified management of Cingular Wireless, which is 
now a joint venture operated by BellSouth and AT&T.

 --  Enhanced national security, disaster recovery and government services 
through the creation of a unified, end-to-end IP-based network capable 
of providing efficient and secure government communications.

 -- Better disaster response and preparation from the companies
because of unified operations.

The Commission's analysis of competitive effects focused on six key 
groups of services.

They are:

 -- Special access competition. The record indicates that, in a small
number of buildings in the BellSouth in-region territory where AT&T
and BellSouth are the only carriers with direct connections, and where
entry is unlikely, the merger is likely to have an anticompetitive
effect. The Commission found that a commitment by AT&T to divest
indefeasible rights of use (IRUs) to those facilities adequately
remedied the competitive harm. The Commission further found that the
merger was not likely to result in anticompetitive effects with
respect to other special access services that combine one carrier's
own facilities with those of another.

 -- Retail enterprise competition. The Commission found that the
merger is not likely to have anticompetitive effects for enterprise
customers, even though the applicants currently compete against each
other with respect to certain types of enterprise services and some
classes of enterprise customers. The Commission found that competition
for medium and large enterprise customers should remain strong after
the merger because medium and large enterprise customers are
sophisticated, high-volume purchasers of communications services and
because there will remain a significant number of carriers competing
in the market.

 -- Mass market voice competition. The Commission concluded that the
merger is not likely to have anticompetitive effects in the mass
market.  The Commission found that neither BellSouth nor AT&T is a
significant present or potential participant in this market outside of
their respective regions. Consequently, the Commission found that
neither party was exerting significant competitive pressure on the
other in their respective in-region territories. The Commission
further noted that the rapid growth of intermodal competitors --
particularly cable telephony providers (whether circuit-switched or
Voice over IP (VoIP) -- is an increasingly significant competitive
force in this market, and anticipates that such competitors likely
will play an increasingly important role with respect to future mass
market voice competition.

 -- Mass market Internet competition. The Commission found that the
merger is not likely to result in anticompetitive effects for mass
market high-speed Internet access services. Specifically, the
Commission concluded that the merger caused no horizontal effects for
these services because neither BellSouth nor AT&T provides any
significant level of Internet access service outside of its respective
region. The Commission also concluded that, while the merger may
result in some vertical integration, the record did not support
commenters' conclusions that the merged entity will have the
incentive to act anticompetitively in the mass market high-speed
Internet access services market.

 -- Internet backbone competition. The Commission concluded that the
merger is not likely to result in anticompetitive effects in the
Internet backbone market. The Commission found that the merger is not
likely to cause the Tier 1 backbone market to tip to monopoly or
duopoly, nor is it likely to increase the Applicant's incentive
and/or ability to raise rivals' costs.

 -- International competition. The Commission found that the merger is
not likely to result in anticompetitive effects for international
services provided to mass market, enterprise, or global
telecommunications services customers. The Commission also concluded
that the merger is not likely to result in anticompetitive effects in
the international transport, facilities-based IMTS, or international
private line markets.

 -- In addition, on December 28, 2006, AT&T made a series of voluntary
commitments that are enforceable by the Commission and attached as an
Appendix. These conditions are voluntary, enforceable commitments by
AT&T but are not general statements of Commission policy and do not
alter Commission precedent or bind future Commission policy or rules.
Action by the Commission, and effective upon adoption, Friday,
December 29, 2006, by Memorandum Opinion and Order. Chairman Martin
and Commissioner Tate, with Commissioners Copps and Adelstein
concurring, and Commissioner McDowell not participating.

------------------------------

Subject: CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update - January 04, 2007
From: communicationsdirect_daily <communicationsdirect_daily>
Reply-To: communicationsdirect_daily-owner@communicationsdirectnews.com
Date: Thu,  4 Jan 2007 13:01:34 EST


********************************
PricewaterhouseCoopers Presents
The CommunicationsDirect News Daily Update
For January 04, 2007
********************************

Six Rivals to Compete for TP's ADSL Customers
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21890?11228

     Poland's telecoms market regulator, the UKE, has confirmed that
     the country's fixed-line incumbent Telekomunikacja Polska (TP)
     has so far signed agreements with a total of six telcos, Netia,
     GTS Energis, Telefonia Dialog, Exatel, eTel and e-Telko, for the
     delivery of wholesale ADSL access. Poland's leading alternative
     telco, ...

Nokia, Samsung, and Panasonic Sued over Bluetooth Patent Infringement
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/130/21887?11228

     The Washington Research Foundation (WRF), a non-profit technology
     marketing division of the University of Washington is suing a
     number of suppliers of Bluetooth devices including Nokia,
     Samsung, Matsushita and Panasonic claiming that their products
     infringe at least one patent owned by the organisation. Reuters
     reports that the companies ...

Managing the Right Tension
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21881?11228

     Of all the competing objectives every company faces, three pairs
     stand out: profitability versus growth, the short term versus the
     long term, and the whole organization versus the units. In each
     case, progress on one front usually comes at the expense of
     progress on the other. The authors researched the performance of
     more than 1,000 ...

Hitting the Road With Mobile Apps
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21880?11228

     Here's a field that's growing legs: mobile enterprise
     applications.  International Data Corp., a Framingham,
     Mass.-based technology research firm, forecasts that the mobile
     enterprise application market will grow from $1.2 billion in 2005
     to $3.5 billion in 2010. That means we're about to see a lot more
     people running ...

Sprint Unveils 1 GB Memory Phone
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/150/21874?11228

     Sprint Nextel is rolling out a new handset from Sanyo that sports
     1 GB of internal memory. Separately, the wireless carrier has
     officially launched N, its nighttime mobile TV network for teens.
     The Sprint Power Vision M1 by Sanyo was designed with music and
     entertainment fans in mind, according to the carrier. The phone
     features ...

Speculators Bet On Sonae's PT Bid Sweetener
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21872?11228

     Shares in Portugal Telecom (PT) were trading a touch higher than
     $13 yesterday, leaving speculators scratching their heads over
     just what Sonae may have up its sleeve as its next trick in a now
     year-long $14.8 billion hostile attempt to take over Portugal's
     dominant carrier.  Sonae finally formally submitted its
     tender-offer ...

Cingular: The Call of the WiFi
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/140/21870?11228

     Competition for an early slice of the fixed/mobile convergence
     (FMC) pie in the U.S. could be heating up now that AT&amp;T
     Inc.&nbsp;has taken full control of the Cingular Wireless LLC
     joint venture following the completion of its $86 billion
     acquisition of BellSouth Corp. over the new year.  Cingular's
     convergence plans ...

Cingular: The Call of the WiFi
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/100/21868?11228

     Competition for an early slice of the fixed/mobile convergence
     (FMC) pie in the U.S. could be heating up now that AT&T Inc. has
     taken full control of the Cingular Wireless LLC joint venture
     following the completion of its $86 billion acquisition of
     BellSouth Corp. over the new year. Cingular's convergence
     plans ...

AT&T Merger: The Storage Angle
http://www.communicationsdirectnews.com/do.php/120/21867?11228

     With the FCC's long-awaited approval of AT&T's merger with
     BellSouth finally in place, the companies face the formidable
     task of converging their customers, products, and services --
     including storage ones. But the largest telecom merger in U.S.
     history, a deal valued at about $85 billion, may not produce
     much ...

Your feedback on our e-letter is always welcome. Send email to:
CommunicationsDirect Editor <telecom_direct_editor@us.pwc.com>

Copyright (C) 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 12:25:45 CST
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: Showtime Networks Delivers Games to Broadband


USTelecom dailyLead
January 4, 2007
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fTpUfDtusXjrfECibuddKpSz

TODAY'S HEADLINES


NEWS OF THE DAY
* Showtime Networks delivers games to broadband providers
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Hutchison Essar attracts another suitor
* AT&T expands U-verse programming
* Suit: Apple, Google, Napster violate video patent
* Sprint seeks new direction with creative
* China Mobile, Google forge search pact
* Judge OKs bankruptcy plan for Adelphia Communications
* Turner takes advantage of Web success
* EarthLink CEO dies at 49
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Samsung aims to improve video technology for cell phones
* Analysis: FMC on the verge

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/fTpUfDtusXjrfECibuddKpSz

------------------------------

Subject: The Best Phone Company in America
Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu
Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni
From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes)
Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:34:32 GMT


Sighted in another venue is a link to an article in Telephony:

http://telephonyonline.com/mag/telecom_best_phone_company/

jhhaynes at earthlink dot net

------------------------------

From: Henry Cabot Henhouse III <sooper_chicken@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: EarthLink CEO Dead at Age 49
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:46:33 -0800


Pat --

Another Scientologist bites the dust. Big loss to humanity!

> Associated Press News Wire" <ap@telecom-digest.org> wrote in message 
> news:telecom26.3.2@telecom-digest.org:

> Garry Betty, the president and chief executive of EarthLink Inc., has
> died from complications of cancer, the Internet service provider said
> Wednesday. He was 49.

> Betty joined EarthLink in 1996 and oversaw the company's growth from a
> regional ISP with 500,000 subscribers to a national service provider
> with more than 5 million. He took a medical leave of absence in
> November. Atlanta-based EarthLink released no other information on his
> death.

> "Garry was instrumental in building EarthLink into the company it is
> today," company Chairman Robert M. Kavner said in a statement.

> EarthLink said Mike Lunsford will remain interim CEO.

> Prior to joining EarthLink, Betty served as CEO of Digital
> Communications Associates Inc. -- and was at the time the youngest CEO
> of a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

> Betty, a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, began his
> career at IBM Corp., and won the IBM President's Excellence Award in
> 1982 for his work on the original IBM PC.

> Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How do you know he was into Scientology?
Did the church ever announce him as such, or did he ever speak on
the topic?  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Diamond Dave <dmine45.NOSPAM@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Telephone Building Web Page
Organization: The BBS Corner / Diamond Mine On-Line
Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:30:27 -0500


On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:11:17 -0800, Rob <wahtever@wahtever.net> wrote:

>> Anyone know what happened to the web site that had pictures of buildings 
>> mostly in California?  I have some photos for him.

> http://www.thecentraloffice.com/

In addition to The Central Office, there are two other central office
building sites of interest:

Telebeans: http://www.telebeans.org

Telebeans was created by Parris Wood, who died in March 2006. His
parents are keeping the site operational for the time being.

Telephone World: http://www.dmine.com/phworld/co

These are central office pictures that I have taken or have been
submitted to me.

Enjoy!

Dave Perrussel
Webmaster - Telephone World

------------------------------


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End of TELECOM Digest V26 #4
****************************