Orange County, Calif., Executives React to AOL-Time Warner Merger.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, January, 2000 by Berry, Kate; Farnsworth, Chris

Jan. 11--The merger between America Online and Time Warner shows that the Internet is the driving force behind today's business, local high-tech and media executives said.

Most executives used the same buzzword -- convergence -- to describe the deal but differed on what that will actually mean for consumers.

The merger will accelerate the distribution of high-speed Internet access to consumers through Time Warner's cable systems, said Henry T. Nicholas III, chief executive of Broadcom Corp. in Irvine.

"This solves a lot of problems that both companies individually had," he said. "This creates huge demand for the acceleration and deployment of broadband."

Broadband is the term used for high-speed Internet access -- access that is 10...