Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1992  20:37:21 EST
From: FZC@CU.NIH.GOV
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: News Summaries
Reply-To: TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
Organization: TELECOM Digest
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 830, Message 1 of 9

Summary of Newsworthy Items of Note {Washington Post}, 11/6:

Business Digest.   Page B2.

1.  Time Warner will be the third organization filing a suit over the
cable re-regulation bill, citing a First Amendment violation in
"special burdens on cable companies' ability to supply programming".

2.  "The Justice Department said it would not defend a provision of
the new cable television law that requires cable operators to reserve"
one third of channel capacity for local broadcast stations.

Page B1.

3.  Article titled "New Player on the Cellular Circuit" discusses
AT&T's buying McCaw Cellular, which is AT&T's first involvement in
cellular in ten years.  I think there is a snipe by the Post at Pat's
home telco: "AT&T's entry into cellular service would make it a
provider of a different kind of local service that is growing at a
breathless clip -- though this isn't quite the same thing as
resurrecting Illinois Bell or any of the other Bell Telephone
companies." (I didn't know Illinois Bell was dead; if it isn't dead,
why would it need to be resurrected?)

Cellular wants to grab more radio spectrum and AT&T may help it do
that, by giving a "vote of confidence" in the future of wireless.  It
could also knock down legal and regulatory barriers over what is a
local and what is a long-distance company and who can offer what
services.  AT&T sells 42% of the 90 metropolitan area's cellular
equipment anyway, making it a major supplier.

In some cases, AT&T may actually be competing against companies it
used to own.  Having "AT&T" as a brand of Cellular Phone service may
bring back thoughts of the old national "Bell System".  Ronald Stowe,
President of (Pacific Bell's holding company) Pacific Telesis, said
"They are in a position of constructing their old monopoly with
wireless instead of copper."

AT&T is painstakingly making an effort to be sure that people are
aware it is not going into local phone service.  John Zeglin, AT&T's
General Counsel points out that "Some people are mistakenly believing
that mobile services substitute for the local exchange."  An ex-FCC
executive agreed that cellular is not a competitor to cheap basic
phone service.

Local Telcos can't do long distance, so if AT&T gets away with this,
they want to be able to offer long distance too.  They think they can
compete with AT&T on long distance.  (Like fun.)  Some whining by the
flack for Bell Atlantic.

MCI may have to go into Cellular since Sprint is also buying Centel.
MCI used to own some cellular properties.  It sold them to McCaw in
1986.  

4.  "They're Wacky, They're Zany, They're an Ad?" is the title of an
article describing Bell Atlantic's new ad which is being test
marketed.

This ad is a 30-minute infomercial, not using the standard talk show
or demonstration, but using a situation comedy.  You might be watching
the show for ten minutes before you realize it's a commercial for Bell
Atlantic Call Waiting.

The commercial was filmed at CBS Television Studios in Los Angeles,
and is titled "The Ringers."  The main characters are "befuddled dad
Ralph, his wife Rhonda, their wacky kids Ronnie and Rachel, and that
lovable ol' rascal, Uncle Norman."  The ad was written and produced by
Sam Denoff ("That Girl" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show") and Marc
Sheffler (the 1989 "Chicken Soup.")

The show will air in Baltimore and some other places on five stations.
WNUV-TV Channel 54, an independent, will run the show during prime
time.  Bell Atlantic plans to clearly mark the show as a paid
announcement.

Bell Atlantic won't say what it spent, but it is supposedly comparable
to two-30 second commercials, which puts the cost in the six-figure
range.

If the commercial clicks, other markets it will run in include
Washington, Philadelphia, Richmond, Norfolk and Charleston WV.

They might make additional "episodes" if this succeeds.

Page B3.

5.  "Court Voids Syndication Rules In Major Victory for Networks"
tells how a Chicago Federal Appeals court vacated the Financial
Interest and Syndication rules which prevent networks from competing
with studios on sales of reruns to other media.

This also prevented networks from merging with studios.  A separate
action in Los Angeles is expected to vacate a related consent decree
which had the same effect.


Paul Robinson --  TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM
This (excessively) opinionated (and probably inaccurate) summary is my
(incompetent) fault alone; no one else (is stupid enough to be)
responsible for it.