The major victim of broadband collapse will be . .

M$FT is one of the bidders for @home's network. I'm really afraid that they will win and then exploit the broadband into an exclusively Windows residential/educational network. Where AT&T was talking about 307 million, Microsoft was talking 3-5 billion, almost 10X what AT&T was offering.

What I really don't understand about this @home/AT&T thing is how much AT&T owns, vs. how much @home owns. If AT&T owns the infrastructure (cable modems, MAN connections, last mile cable, etc.), then was @home just providing the DNS, Web Servers, WebSpace, and email? If that was the case, then maybe AT&T wasn't so crazy in offering just $307 million. After all, they own the cable plant and most of the infrastructure, and probably had contingency servers, DNS, etc. all built and ready to go for this day. After all, they just need to bring these servers up, assign people new accounts, notify them of the new addresses, etc., then start collecting money. Less than a month, I would hope.

If @home owned the cable office/MAN piece, then it could take months for all those T1's/T3's, etc. to be run and set up and new IP addresses set up, and then all the DNS, WebServer, email, etc. If @home owned the MAN piece, then I'm going to go talk with SBC about DSL.

The worst possible case is that AT&T and @home are in some kind of legal quicksand over this deal and that the lawyers will be trading papers for years to come, while all of us sit on the sidelines and watch the fireworks. I really hope this isn't the case. In that case, I'll be talking to SBC about DSL, although it may be weeks or months before this situation becomes apparent.

Since they're after Apple in the education market now, and they already own the majority of homes, it only makes sense for them to try to consolidate their market power by also owning the pipeline.

Woe to those who run non-Microsoft servers if Microsoft buys @home! Woe!

Glen Austin

Post #19,887 by Andrew Grygus 12/1/01 3:58:21 PM Reply	The major victim of broadband collapse will be . . .NET Microsoft needs universal broadband more than anyone; their "bet the farm" initiative depends on it. Expect them to put their full weight behind getting broadband deployed - and expect them to find out just what light-weights they really are going up against the telcos. "Billy hits the brick wall", coming soon to a modem near you. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #19,924 by gdaustin 12/1/01 10:05:20 PM Reply	Microsoft Bidding M$FT is one of the bidders for @home's network. I'm really afraid that they will win and then exploit the broadband into an exclusively Windows residential/educational network. Where AT&T was talking about 307 million, Microsoft was talking 3-5 billion, almost 10X what AT&T was offering. What I really don't understand about this @home/AT&T thing is how much AT&T owns, vs. how much @home owns. If AT&T owns the infrastructure (cable modems, MAN connections, last mile cable, etc.), then was @home just providing the DNS, Web Servers, WebSpace, and email? If that was the case, then maybe AT&T wasn't so crazy in offering just $307 million. After all, they own the cable plant and most of the infrastructure, and probably had contingency servers, DNS, etc. all built and ready to go for this day. After all, they just need to bring these servers up, assign people new accounts, notify them of the new addresses, etc., then start collecting money. Less than a month, I would hope. If @home owned the cable office/MAN piece, then it could take months for all those T1's/T3's, etc. to be run and set up and new IP addresses set up, and then all the DNS, WebServer, email, etc. If @home owned the MAN piece, then I'm going to go talk with SBC about DSL. The worst possible case is that AT&T and @home are in some kind of legal quicksand over this deal and that the lawyers will be trading papers for years to come, while all of us sit on the sidelines and watch the fireworks. I really hope this isn't the case. In that case, I'll be talking to SBC about DSL, although it may be weeks or months before this situation becomes apparent. Since they're after Apple in the education market now, and they already own the majority of homes, it only makes sense for them to try to consolidate their market power by also owning the pipeline. Woe to those who run non-Microsoft servers if Microsoft buys @home! Woe! Glen Austin
Post #20,093 by inthane-chan 12/3/01 2:17:36 PM Reply	A little birdy told me... ...that a certain company is NOT bidding for a certain other company, but instead is giving "gifts" to another company to make sure that a certain AOL doesn't get its hands on the subscribers and network. "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Post #20,279 by orion 12/4/01 10:46:37 PM Reply	If I had to guess I would say that Charter might be trying to buy out the Excite@Home network? Their owner is really big in communication and cable companies. That is if the FCC will let them? *I am free now, to choose my own destiny.*

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