Aol Tw Gets Isp Clearances

AOL Time Warner has won approval from the Federal Trade Commission to open its cable systems to four rival providers of high-speed Internet services, the FTC said Thursday.

Under an FTC condition for greenlighting the merger of America Online and Time Warner earlier this year, AOL TW must open local cable markets to at least three unaffiliated ISPs before it can offer its own high-speed product there. All service pacts with ISPs must be sanctioned by the FTC.

Each approval is valuable for AOL TW as it works to expand the reach of its own high-speed services. Web services have been a key growth engine for Time Warner Cable and other cable firms, but analysts have said that AOL TW has been relatively slow to roll out the product.

In its latest action, the FTC sanctioned a pact that allows Reston, Va.-based ISP Inter.net to provide high-speed service in all Time Warner Cable markets. The approval also allows New York Connect to offer its services in New York City; Internet Junction in Tampa Bay, Fla., and Central Florida; and Stic.net in Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.

The FTC also said Thursday that AOL TW has filed an application to open its Kansas City, Mo., cable system to ISP Web One.

AOL TW shares rose 3% on Thursday to 32.43.