Patricia Fusco

Internet heavyweights have asked America Online Inc. to tear down the walls and end their blockade of competing instant messaging services. In a letter to Steve Case, AOL president and chief executive officer, eight industry leaders asked the online giant to make its instant messaging servers open to other vendors. Senior executives at Excite@Home Inc., […]

Apple Computer Inc. and America Online Inc. Thursday announced an agreement to create instant messaging products for Mac users that will allow seamless communication between Mac users and the AOL Instant Messenger service. The deal will allow Mac users to exchange messages online in real-time with friends and family, as well as 40 million AIM […]

California regulators Tuesday reaffirmed an earlier ruling that determined calls made to the Internet are essentially local. California’s affirmation conflicts with the Federal Communications Commission’s February ruling that calls to Internet providers are interstate in nature. However, the FCC granted states the right to decide reciprocal compensation disputes while it conducts an in-depth investigation. The […]

Microsoft Corp. has given the cold shoulder to a request from America Online Inc. which recommended that the two companies form a business arrangement to resolve their battle over instant messaging. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft sent a letter from Vice President Brad Chase, asking AOL to join industry efforts to create standards for instant messaging, […]

In a rush to meet the demand for broadband services, America Online Inc. has strategically aligned itself with another regional Bell operating company. AOL and GTE Tuesday formed a long-term strategic alliance to provide asymmetrical digital subscriber line services to AOL members in 17 states. The deal gives AOL the potential to reach 65 percent […]

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors have amended the city’s franchise agreement with AT&T Corp. to include a provision that will allow the city to impose open access rules. The Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 late Monday to approve AT&T’s $48 billion acquisition of Tele-Communications Inc. in San Francisco. But the board also withheld the right […]

PC Data, Inc. credits free Internet access offers and industry-wide rebates with creating a late-month surge in personal computer sales. The independent market research firm reports that free Internet access and personal computer offers in June were largely responsible for a 35 percent unit sales increase over June 1998 figures. Stephen Baker, PC Data director […]

MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. Thursday purchased the consumer dial-up subscriber base of the Institute for Global Communications. Financial terms of the agreement to buy the San Francisco-based clientele were not disclosed. The transition of the IGC Internet subscribers to MindSpring dial-up systems should be completed in 60-days. IGC is a nonprofit organization that provides online access […]

William E. Kennard, Federal Communications Commission chairman, has asked the FCC general counsel to prepare a brief that would establish a national broadband policy. In May, a federal district court ruled that the city government of Portland, Ore., has the authority to force its cable TV company to open access to independent Internet services providers. […]

Small businesses and consumers seeking voice service alternatives to their incumbent local exchange carriers are one step closer to enjoying new telecommunications possibilities. Broadband access provider Covad Communications Co. Wednesday announced that it has reached an agreement with GST Telecommunications Inc. to develop integrated voice over digital subscriber line services. The two companies plan to […]

FirstWorld Communications Inc. this week announced that it had acquired InteleNet Communications, Inc. for approximately $16 million in cash and stock. The deal completes FirstWorld’s second acquisition this month. The agreement will expand FirstWorld’s ability to offer collocation services, digital subscriber lines and long distance telephony in Southern California. Sheldon S. Ohringer, FirstWorld president and […]

Fresh from accepting the Global Crossing Ltd. merger plans, Frontier Communications now intends to forge its way past circuit-based telephony boundaries. Frontier Communications Tuesday announced the company is joining forces with Lucent Technologies to design and build an Internet protocol telephony network. When completed, the IP telephony network is expected to carry all of Frontier’s […]