---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20180322193620.GA5464@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:36:20 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: T-Mobile, Verizon, and everyone else lost to Google Fi for the most popular cell network By Chris Mills Working out which cell company is the "best" is a controversial issue, to say the least. Depending how you measure it, T-Mobile's network is either the best in town, or fighting for last place with Sprint. But having the best coverage or fastest network isn't the only thing that matters to customers, so it might not be a shock that two mobile resellers without their own networks beat the Big Four to be the PC Mag Readers' Choice winners. http://bgr.com/2018/03/21/t-mobile-vs-verizon-vs-google-fi-best-mvno-cell-network/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180322193152.GA5423@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:31:52 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: AT&T And Time Warner: Why Cord-Cutters Could Get Screwed Either Way By Jared Newman Let's assume for a few minutes that the government's attempt to block AT&T from buying Time Warner isn't motivated by politics. Maybe the Department of Justice has a point: Putting the nation's largest TV provider - and second-largest wireless carrier - in charge of the company that runs HBO and Turner networks could lead to higher prices and fewer choices. That, in turn, could weaken the factors that have allowed cord-cutting to flourish over the past few years - namely, a decline in traditional pay-TV viewers and a wave of new streaming alternatives. https://www.fastcompany.com/40547220/att-and-time-warner-why-cord-cutters-could-get-screwed-either-way -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180322192321.GA5385@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:23:21 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: What you need to know about the AT&T - Time Warner merger trial By Colin Lecher One of the most high-stakes antitrust battles in recent memory is about to unfold in court, as AT&T argues its case for buying Time Warner, despite objections from the Justice Department. If approved, the purchase will create an outsized media behemoth that combines AT&T's 25 million paid TV subscribers with media giants like HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros. movie studios. This, the Justice Department argues, is a company so large that it could stifle competition. Meanwhile, AT&T insists that the merger is critical if it has any hope of competing in a marketplace increasingly driven by streaming media. Both sides are making their opening statements in a DC court today. Here's what to watch for during the trial. https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/22/17152518/att-time-warner-merger-trial-justice-department -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180322192714.GA5403@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:27:14 -0400 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Four reasons why losing Time Warner would be good for AT&T By Alex Sherman Four reasons why losing Time Warner would be good for AT&T

• A deal for Time Warner supports AT&T's 2015 acquisition of DirecTV, which is already showing signs of decline.
• Doubling down on media may not be AT&T's wisest move as technology giants like Google and Amazon spend billions on content.
• It is also possible Time Warner is simply a melting iceberg that may keep losing value.

As opening statements in AT&T's trial to buy Time Warner begin Thursday, the communications company is framing its acquisition as a quest for survival against tech giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon. Oddly, AT&T may be better off losing in the long run. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/22/att-may-be-better-off-losing-time-warner-and-not-relying-on-the-dying-pay-tv-model.html -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Fri, 23 Mar 2018