Comcast throws a curve in its broadband pitch

COMCAST THROWS A CURVE IN ITS BROADBAND PITCH
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: David Lazarus]
[Commentary] As AT&T prepares to enter the video market in the Bay Area, Comcast is attempting to get owners of local apartment buildings to agree to 10-year contracts that would grant the cable giant an exclusive right to provide tenants with all broadband services. The move is an example of skirmishing under way nationwide as the phone and cable industries face off for control of a new generation of digital technology piped into people's homes. It also shows how advances in such technology have outpaced state and federal regulation, leaving officials frequently unsure where the line falls between traditional public utilities like AT&T and private-sector service providers like Comcast. Earlier this month, telecom giant Verizon -- which, like AT&T, is rolling out video service to millions of customers -- formally asked the Federal Communications Commission to block cable companies from signing exclusive deals with owners of apartment buildings.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/19/BUGEHK1AGD1.DTL&type=tech