Journal of Legislation Volume 26 | Issue 2 Article 8 5-1-2000 Content and Broadband and Service... Oh My - Will a United AOL-Time Warner Become the Wicked Witch of the Web, or Pave a Yellow Brick Road;Note Joseph P. Reid Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/jleg Recommended Citation Reid, Joseph P. (2000) "Content and Broadband and Service... Oh My - Will a United AOL-Time Warner Become the Wicked Witch of the Web, or Pave a Yellow Brick Road;Note," Journal of Legislation: Vol. 26: Iss. 2, Article 8. Available at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/jleg/vol26/iss2/8 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Journal of Legislation at NDLScholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Legislation by an authorized administrator of NDLScholarship. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Content and Broadband and Service ...Oh My! Will a United AOL-Time Warner Become the Wicked Witch of the Web, or Pave a Yellow Brick Road? I. Introduction In early January 2000, computer power America Online announced plans to acquire media giant Time Warner.' Valued between $160 and $180 billion, the proposed merger would be the largest ever.2 Naturally, given the size and influence of the two companies, the fanfare surrounding the move was equally great. America Online's chairman Steve Case proclaimed that the merger would "launch the next Internet revo- lution," while Time Warner chairman Gerald Levine cooed that "[tihese two companies are a natural fit."' 3 Following the announcement, stock prices of both computer and media companies soared as frenzied market-watchers buzzed about what other mergers might ensue.4 In addition, analysts exalted the sense of the proposed union: not only did each company offer what the other most coveted,5 but the terms of the deal also pleased those who believed that internet companies were slightly overvalued.6 Not all reactions to the announcement were equally positive, however, as critics quickly appeared to decry the union.