Caron Carlson

Tired of waiting for a consensus among corporate CIOs and security experts on how to lock down their networks, a group of federal agencies and industry organizations last week released guidelines of their own. The move, however, is being seen by some as the first step toward governmental regulation of security standards. While government officials […]

The countrys top telecom cop wrote to WorldCom Inc. CEO John Sidgmore today on the heels of the companys bankruptcy filing, admonishing him to keep his regulatory duties in mind during the reorganization and to “take these requirements seriously.” Despite Sidgmores public assurances on Monday that WorldCom intends to emerge from bankruptcy stronger than before […]

Cable & Wireless plc chief executive officer for U.S. business, Bill Austin, will leave the company next month. Austin previously was chief finance officer at Exodus Communications Inc., the Internet hosting and web services company that was acquired out of bankruptcy by Cable & Wireless in February. Austin, who joined Exodus just a year ago […]

AT&T Corp. named David Dorman to succeed Michael Armstrong at the company helm today in anticipation of Armstrongs emigration to the pending broadband conglomerate to be formed by AT&T Broadband and Comcast Corp. Dorman, president of the countrys largest long-distance carrier since late 2000, will assume the jobs of chairman and CEO as well, once […]

With the downfall of Worldcom Inc., choices among enterprise long- distance voice services are diminishing. But, ironically, it is local telephone companies, once targeted to face competition in their own markets from long-distance providers, that are moving to fill the void. The move could stabilize a volatile market, but as local companies move closer to […]

The Bush Administrations proposal to create a Department of Homeland Security is drawing criticism this week from industry advocates and government watchdogs for transferring too much power over computer networks and information security to the federal bureaucracy and law enforcement. The Administrations plan to move the Commerce Departments computer security division from the National Institute […]

A week into its financial meltdown, WorldCom Inc. officials were scrambling to assure customers that its networks—especially its UUNet Internet backbone—were not in danger of shutting down. Meanwhile, the carriers largest business partners were doing damage control of their own, trying to assess their exposure to the WorldCom mess while sending the message that the […]

As the pool of telecommunications service providers shrinks, equipment manufacturers are looking to cable operators to inject competition into the entrenched telephone market. Analysts doubt, however, that cable companies will be ready to serve the business community on a wide scale before more extensive standards are developed for packet cable delivery, which are not slated […]

Metromedia Fiber Network Inc. lost one of its largest hosting customers to AT&T Corp. this week, but company officials said that the bankrupt metro area network provider is still delivering uninterrupted service to its customers with no intention of shutting down. The Web sites of CNET Networks Inc. will be dark July 5 through July […]

WorldCom Inc. President and CEO John Sidgmore today attempted to assure customers, investors, partners and the government that his company will emerge from its current financial and legal debacle as a viable business. In a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Sidgmore acknowledged the widespread outrage ensuing from WorldComs disclosure last […]