---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <D66B0FB4-F1B5-4C13-A0B2-1A3404BB3883@roscom.com> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2016 22:05:46 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Managing Driving's Many Distractions Car fatalities in the first half of 2016 rose 10.4% to 17,775 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is a steep increase following an already surprising uptick in fatalities last year. The rise in deaths raises fresh concerns over use of car technology, cellphones and distracted driving. http://www.wsj.com/articles/managing-drivings-many-distractions-1477423196 ***** Moderator's Note ***** Subscription or signup required to read this article. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1270B27C-53A6-4818-A3C8-04A7DC2F35C9@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2016 09:17:55 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Regulatory Microscope Lies Ahead for AT&T and Time Warner The deal will probably face a much sterner regulatory review than the Comcast-NBC Universal merger in 2009. By Leslie Picker and Cecilia Kang A cable and internet provider decides to buy an entertainment conglomerate. The merger is met with skepticism by industry analysts and outrage by consumer groups, who complain that it would thwart competition, create unfair pricing and incite more media consolidation. That was 2009, when the cable giant Comcast announced it would acquire NBC Universal. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/business/dealbook/regulatory-microscope-lies-ahead-for-att-and-time-warner.html ***** Moderator's Note ***** Any "Regulatory Microscope" is likely to be out-of-focus durig the post-election bacchanalia. One party will be drowning its sorrows and the other trying to submerge its shame, and the lame ducks still in power until January will be thinking of their futures, not ours. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <CE905C94-2A57-4E69-86C5-BD98BACD3B74@roscom.com> Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2016 09:35:40 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Individualized Ads on TV Could Be One Result of AT&T-Time Warner Merger In a call with investors, the chiefs of the companies noted that the combined trove of their consumer data would be useful to marketers and consumers. By Sapna Maheshwari Targeting people with individualized TV commercials using cable or satellite boxes has been promoted as the future of television for at least a decade. But the business, known as addressable TV advertising, has remained on the fringes, usually limited to two minutes of local commercial time an hour on cable shows. Now, AT&T and Time Warner are pointing to targeted advertising as a major benefit of their proposed $85 billion merger. Jeffrey L. Bewkes, the chief executive of Time Warner, and Randall L. Stephenson, AT&T's chief executive, highlighted the vast trove of consumer data their combined companies would have in a call with investors on Monday, and its usefulness for both marketers and consumers. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/business/media/targeted-advertising-time-warner-merger.html ------------------------------ Message-ID: <FD419280-4B9D-4B9F-A90C-0C255458A51E@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2016 09:17:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Swift Opposition to Resurrection of AT&T Giant Much of the concern about AT&T's $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner is rooted in how consumers have fared since Comcast bought NBCUniversal. Over three decades ago, such was AT&T's monopoly over the nation's communications networks that the government forcefully shattered its empire. Now, as one of its successors again seeks a formidable business empire by buying Time Warner, lawmakers, analysts and advocacy groups are closely watching to see if the union, or any that follow in its wake, poses harm to consumers. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/24/business/dealbook/swift-opposition-to-resurrection-of-att-giant.html ***** Moderator's Note ***** Nobody "forcefully shattered" AT&T: the company signed a consent decree which resolved a long-standing lawsuit. Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Sun, 30 Oct 2016