Excite and AT&T lay down the law

Excite@Home and AT&T announced Wednesday service guarantees for their jointly operated broadband network. The companies revealed in February a deal to run networks that target Internet content providers such as Web sites that send heavy bandwidth content such as audio, video and pictures over the Internet. Excite@Home provides high-speed Internet access to about 3.2 million residential subscribers through cable service. The agreement partially ensures content providers and home users connected to the joint network of a certain standard of performance. The service guarantees include standards for network availability, service delays and loss of data during transit. If the network fails, customers will receive a service credit.