The Digital Beat Extra is a free online news service provided by the Benton Foundation. Much like our Digital Beat Daily , Digital Beat Extras are intended to keep you up to date on important industry developments, policy issues, and other pertinent communications-related news events.
Extras go beyond the headlines to get a deeper perspective of selected topics.
We welcome your suggestions to cover issues related to the following topics. The proposed merger of America Online, the number 1 Internet access provider with over 20 million subscribers, and Time Warner, considered one of the leading media companies, has raised the eyebrows of many public interest advocates. The vast ownership implications will be addressed in a Digital Beat Extra next week. In this, our first Broadband Extra of 2000, we focus on the implications of the proposed merger on high-speed Internet access. The cable systems of both companies have exclusivity contracts with broadband service providers that the companies own major stakes in.