NEWS BRIEFS

AT&T Corp. is offering consumer broadband service in 11 additional states for a total of 25 states in which the No. 1 long-distance provider offers DSL as part of a package of residential services. The new states are Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Tennessee. AT&T has a line-splitting arrangement with broadband provider Covad Communications Group Inc. to provide consumers with DSL.

Covad Communications Group Inc. and Qwest Communications International Inc. have completed a three-year commercial line sharing agreement, enabling Covad to continue offering DSL within the Qwest region. This marks the first time a competitive carrier and an RBOC have negotiated commercial terms for access to line sharing since the FCC’s Triennial Review decision. The agreement covers three years beginning in October, when current federal linesharing unbundling obligations are phased out. Financial terms were not disclosed.

America Online Inc. and Time Warner Cable have reached a co-marketing agreement. The deal calls for AOL to promote Time Warner Cable’s Road Runner Internet service, while TWC will integrate a sampling of AOL for Broadband content for its high-speed Internet customers. Road Runner subscribers will be able to sample AOL content from categories including entertainment, games and sports, and add AOL for Broadband - an online service featuring exclusive programming - to their Internet connection. The companies also say Time Warner Digital Cable customers can access a new on-demand music video channel featuring original AOL Music programming. The channel, called My MC, will be available beginning in May.

Level 3 Communications Inc. has acquired ICG Communications Inc.’s wholesale Internet dialup access business. Level 3 says it would pay approximately $35 million to acquire a business providing dialup Internet access to America Online, Earthlink, MSN, United Online and other ISPs. Broomfield, Colo.-based Level 3 says the acquisition should add approximately $35 million in incremental revenue this year; the company says it plans to migrate most of ICG’s customer traffic onto its own network over the next two quarters. ICG says it would continue to offer so-called primaryrate interface service to ISPs, carriers and other businesses, and retain its nationwide data backbone.

DCA Services Inc. has introduced services for long-distance carriers to help manage and mitigate the financial risk associated with keeping resellers. The three services include free billing, a carrier guarantee and Reseller Rescue, which means DCA takes control of a reseller’s back office, including billing, customer service, accounts receivable, collections, provisioning, and print and mail. DCA says carriers can be assured they will be compensated because DCA controls the accounts receivable and the lockbox.

CustomCall Data Systems named telecom and software industry veteran Steven J. Hogan as its CEO. He most recently served as CEO of SkyNetix LLC. Telecom veterans will recall he founded LinkUSA, the first wholesale-only enhanced telecommunications service provider, where he was president and CEO from 1991 until its sale to Frontier Communications (now Global Crossing) in 1995. Previously, Hogan was vice president of communications research at Telecom*USA (now part of MCI). Hogan holds 21 U.S. patents in telecom, software and transaction processing.