AOL goes AWOL on open access

摘要

Like a seismic tremor, the proposed $164 billion rnerger of America Online and Time Warner has shaken the foundation under the loose coalition of service providers, telcos and consumer advocates pushing cable operators to open their networks to competing ISPs. AOL pulled out a few more bricks last week, confirming what many observers had predicted when the merger was announced: It has largely abandoned efforts to lobby state, local and federal governments to impose access requirements on multiple systems operators, preferring instead a voluntary marketplace solution.