Caron Carlson

Ruling Not a Shock to IT Users

The Microsoft Corp. remedy deal crafted with the Department of Justice in November 2001 elicited more written comments from the public than any other settlement reviewed under the Tunney Act, with comments running 2-1 against the settlement. But while Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly this month approved the deal with few changes, major IT users expressed little […]

Verizon to Edge Into Enterprise Data Arena

Verizon Communications Inc. last week announced plans to enter the enterprise data market via the incremental deployment of a national IP network. But long-distance veterans such as AT&T Corp. scoffed at the plans. Anticipating a green light from the Federal Communications Commission to offer long-distance services to customers in all its local territories by early […]

Microsoft Sets Up Compliance Committee

Microsoft Corp. set up an antitrust compliance committee on Friday, in accordance with the landmark antitrust remedy ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Nov. 1. The board appointed James Cash as chairman of the committee. Cash, who joined Microsofts board of directors in June, 2001, is a professor at […]

GOP Gains Boost for Bells?

The GOPs gains in Congress this election are likely insufficient to cause major upheavals in telecommunications policy, but the slight Republican majority in the Senate could indirectly boost the deregulatory efforts of the Regional Bell Operating Companies. Because the Bells still control the vast majority of the local telephone market six years after the passage […]

FCC to Auction Spectrum for 3G Services

In a widely anticipated vote, the Federal Communications Commission Thursday redirected a hefty chunk of the airwaves for advanced wireless services, also known as third-generation, or 3G, services. The decision is a boon to the wireless industry, which continuously lobbies for new frequencies in an era in which very little spectrum remains unused. The FCC […]

Feds Getting IT Together

Government security officials have begun a new era of interagency cooperation that has led to unprecedented levels of information sharing. And while the high-level meetings have strengthened government security capabilities, they have also highlighted shortcomings in a key part of the data gathering and analysis processes. The movement inside the government comes as the White […]

GSA Is Asked to Suspend WorldCom

The communications industrys labor union teamed up with consumer and small-business advocates last week to ask the government to ban WorldCom Inc. from future work with federal agencies. Leaders with the advocacy groups also said that all parties, including corporate customers, would be better served if the scandal-ridden companys MCI and UUNet divisions were sold […]

Carriers Look to Link Back and Front Offices

To cut operational costs while giving enterprise customers greater control over managing telecommunications services, service providers are seeking ways to integrate their back- and front-office systems. Later this year, AT&T Corp. will unveil a customer service portal that permits point-and-click provisioning, said a source with AT&T. In a period of reduced capital spending, major long-distance […]

Verizon to Edge into Enterprise Data Market

Verizon Communications Inc. announced with a flourish Monday its plans to enter the enterprise data market via an incremental deployment of a national IP network. Long-distance veteran AT&T Corp. scoffed at the debut. Anticipating a green light from the Federal Communications Commission to offer long-distance services to customers in all of its local territories by […]

Ripples of the Microsoft Ruling

The antitrust remedies imposed on Microsoft Corp. late last week are widely seen as insufficient to bring about substantive change in the software market, but some industry observers say that the ruling out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia could indirectly affect other cases pending against the software giant, here and […]