Patricia Fusco

Broadband Digital Group Monday launched FreeDSL, offering free, high-speed Internet connectivity. Broadband Digital Group is the latest venture of Internet entrepreneur Ryan Steelberg, whose record includes co-founding online advertising management company AdForce, and AdSmart, both which were acquired by CMGI Inc. (CMGI) last year. FreeDSL is currently offering registering services to potential clients, with activations […]

The Pittsburgh, Penn. City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday to make open access a condition of its local cable franchise’s license renewal. For the first time since the battle for open access began in Portland, Ore., AT&T Cable Services has accepted the local government provision in order to renew its local cable franchise, rather than transfer […]

Michigan Congressman John Dingell, the most senior member of the House and ranking member of the Commerce Committee, recently sent a letter to FCC Chairman William E. Kennard and AT&T Corp. Chairman C. Michael Armstrong expressing doubts over recent open-access pledges. In the letter to Kennard, Dingell questioned the FCC’s vision and competence due to […]

High-speed Internet access provider CAIS Internet Inc. Tuesday announced buyout firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is investing up to $200 million over next two years. KKR will make an initial investment of $100 million investment in the form of convertible preferred stock valued at $16.50 per share. The agreement also includes a one-year option […]

Juno Online Services Inc. Monday expanded its free basic service package to include full Internet access. Until now, Juno (JWEB) has provided only basic dial-up email services for free, requiring users interested in full Internet access to subscribe to a billable premium service. In addition to their free service expansion, Juno announced plans to launch […]

America Online Inc. is celebrating an historic moment before the turn of the century, as the leading service provider in the world announced Friday its current membership has topped 20 million. AOL’s (AOL) membership milestone includes 10 million subscribers that have joined AOL over the past two years. To put AOL’s achievement in perspective, its […]

Four Los Angeles-area Internet service providers are urging Federal Communications Commission Chairman William Kennard to balance his scheduled discussions with cable executives this week, by granting them a 10-minute meeting to discuss their side of the open access debate. Jim Pickrell of Brand X Internet, Mario Araujo of AztecaNet, Tony Cappelli of LA Bridge Internet […]

StarMedia Network, Inc. Thursday partnered up with ISP Channel to deliver multimedia content to Latin America. Broadband Internet services company SoftNet Systems, Inc. (SOFN), the parent company of ISP Channel, and StarMedia (STRM), have signed a strategic agreement to bring broadband content to Spanish-speaking America and Portuguese-speaking Brazil. According to the terms of the deal, […]

Excite@Home Corp. established a pair of partnerships designed to propagate Wednesday’s launch of its advanced digital television applications and services. According to George Bell, Excite@Home (ATHM) president, the deals with Microsoft Corp. and Liberate Technologies will help Excite@Home open a new era in interactive television and broadband services for consumers. Bell said that Excite@Home’s Advanced […]

NorthPoint Communications Wednesday unveiled plans to expand its Digital Subscriber Line network to southern Connecticut and New Hampshire. Liz Fetter, NorthPoint (NPNT)president and chief operating officer, said the New England service extension significantly expands on NorthPoint’s DSL network footprint, the nation’s largest. “NorthPoint is extending its high-speed Internet access network from well-served metropolitan areas to […]

Four Massachusetts communities Tuesday filed with the Commonwealth’s Department of Telecommunications and Energy requesting a full hearing on whether open access to cable networks is in the public interest. Earlier this year, Cambridge, North Andover, Quincy, and Somerville refused to allow the transfer of MediaOne Group’s cable licenses AT&T Corp., unless the telecommunications company agreed […]

On the heels of the Federal Communications Commission’s line-sharing agreement enacted Nov. 18, Rhythms NetConnections Inc., Monday launched its consumer Digital Subscriber Line services. The FCC line sharing rule forces incumbent local exchange carriers to let competitors offer advanced broadband services of the same wires that carry plain old telephone connections. Catherine Hapka, Rhythms (RTHM) […]