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THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL TV Digital television will come to consumers' homes by 1998, according to industry experts at a recent debate in Washington held by A.T. Kearney, a management consulting subsidiary of Plano, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems Corp. Telephone companies are building fiber optics in their networks with an eventual goal of offering wireline digital TV to homes, said Patrick White, vice president of corporate strategic pla

Digital television will come to consumers' homes by 1998, according to industry experts at a recent debate in Washington held by A.T. Kearney, a management consulting subsidiary of Plano, Texas-based Electronic Data Systems Corp. Telephone companies are building fiber optics in their networks with an eventual goal of offering wireline digital TV to homes, said Patrick White, vice president of corporate strategic planning at Bell Atlantic, Philadelphia (WT, July 25). Cable companies have similar plans, said Wendell Bailey, vice president of science and technology at the National Cable Television Association, Washington. Still, the hardware will not be cheap. Televisions that receive digital broadcast signals will cost about $2,500.
THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL TV




New Digital Wireless Offerings from AT&ampT
AT&ampT, Basking Ridge, N.J., has added a digital wireless offering to its one-stop-shopping basket (WT, March 7). The service will be available in 40 cities and will include voice, messaging and paging in one phone. Add-ons such as voice mail and caller ID are also available. The service will eventually compete with Sprint Spectrum, a digital wireless offering that came out last year, and with other companies that bid successfully in the Federal Communications Commission's personal communications services spectrum auctions.

Software Depreciation Rules Debated
Jamie Gorelick, deputy attorney general, suggested Sept. 20 that the government change depreciation rules to accelerate introduction of new software better able to resist hackers. (WT, Sept. 26) Five days later, three congressmen introduced a bill to let companies depreciate software investments over two years, instead of the current 15 years. Legislation was introduced Sept. 25, too late for action this year. But its backers, Rep. Bill Baker, R-Calif., Rep. Rick White, R-Wash., and Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Calif., will likely push the bill forward in 1997.

From Cable &amp Wireless to Network Solutions
Cable &amp Wireless Inc., Vienna, Va., just lost its highly regarded CEO Gabe Battista to Network Solutions Inc., Herndon, Va. (WT, July 25). Battista will become the new CEO for the subsidiary of Science Applications International Corp., which is best known for registering Internet domain names.


Network Solutions has been under fire lately for having a monopoly -- awarded by the National Science Foundation -- on dispersing Internet domain names. It has been widely speculated that SAIC, which is employee-owned, may spin off the division as a separate public offering.
Alan Peyser, who had retired from C&ampW in 1995 but remained as a consultant, will take Battista's place. Donald Telage, who previously held the top position at Network Solutions, will become president and COO of the company.


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