from EDUPAGE (Educom news)

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

AT&T DEAL QUESTIONED. Edward Markey, chairman of the House
subcommittee on telecommunications, has sent AT&T chairman Robert
Allen a letter containing eight long and detailed questions
regarding AT&T's proposed acquisition of McCaw Cellular. A response
is expected "no later" than September 7. Industry observers say
Markey's move indicates the deal will not sail through
unchallenged. (St. Petersburg Times 8/26/93 E1)

COMPUTER WINS CHESS MATCH. IBM's newest chess-playing computer,
Deep Blue, has defeated the world's top-ranked woman chess player
in an informal match. Seventeen-year-old Judit Polgar from Hungary
said, "I need some practice, and then I'll kill it." Deep Blue's
developers are grooming the computer for a match next year with
Gary Kasparov, who beat Deep Blue's predecessor in 1989. (St.
Petersburg Times 8/22/93 A13)

CABLE COMPANIES NEED CASH. "The cable industry will need $20
billion to $43 billion to upgrade its infrastructure for futuristic
uses, experts say. The problem: Most cable companies' debt
ratings... languish in junk-bond territory, while their rivals, the
phone companies, have easy access to vast pools of investment-grade
money." (Wall Street Journal 8/26/93 B4)