AOL makes room for rivals in the US

AOL Time Warner is to satisfy regulations imposed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by allowing rivals access to their cable network. Connect.Net, a New York ISP and Florida’s Internet Junction Services have applied to the FTC to provide high-speed net access on AOL’s network.01 Oct 2001

AOL, the owner of the second largest cable network in the US was subjected to conditions after competitors raised concerns that the company’s cable ownership would leave out rivals looking to launch high speed internet access services.

AOL’s spokeswoman Kathy McKiernan said, “we’re very pleased to come to those agreements, we think [the] agreements will bring additional choice and competition to our consumers.”

The FTC is requiring AOL to offer high speed internet access over its cable systems for at least three rivals.