What AOL's critics fear And their proposed solutions.

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/19/2000

Worry

Media mega-giants

Impact

A handful of huge companies will shun competition for cooperation, stifling innovation and raising costs

Solution

Bar affiliation between media conglomerates

Worry

Proprietary standards

Impact

Outside users will be barred from instant messaging and other new services they develop

Solution

Require interoperable protocols for cross-company services

Worry

Restriction of "return path" signals needed for competitors' interactive signals

Impact

Affiliated shopping and interactive services will have a clear advantage over rival services

Solution

Antiblocking rules

Worry

Slower bit rates for rival video streams

Impact

Viewers will become frustrated waiting for non-affiliated content

Solution

Equal data rates

Worry

Local caching of content on company servers across the country

Impact

Proprietary content quicker to retrieve than rival offerings

Solution

Market rates for local caching, regardless of affiliation. Or most-demanded sites gets local caching (porn exempted)

Worry

"Force feeding"

Impact

Company electronic program guides will aggressively promote in-house programming

Solution

Require carriage of competing guides