JUNO SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW?

Juno, the country's third largest ISP, is in the process of expanding the details of its open access contract with America Online and Time Warner.

In July, Juno and Time Warner struck a preliminary deal to give Juno access to TW's cable lines.

"We are in the process of expanding that," said Juno President Charles Ardai, adding that the longer draft of the deal was on his desk. While Ardai noted that some "practical and logistical" details still had to be sorted out, he expressed confidence that the deal might be solidified before the end of the year.

Juno also recently signed a deal with Philadelphia-based Comcast Cable Communications, to offer Juno Online Services' high-speed Internet access service over Comcast's cable system. Comcast is the third largest cable provider in the U.S., after AT&T and Time Warner.

A deal with Juno would certainly help pave the way for federal approval of the AOL-TW merger. That is, if AOL and Time Warner don't go to court with the Federal Trade Commission over Time Warner's content (hitsdailydouble.com, 11/29).

Time Warner has already struck a similar access deal with EarthLink, the nation's number-two ISP.

"Every step for open access is good for the industry," said Ardai of the EarthLink deal. "All we want is the same level playing field."

In related news, AOL has struck has series of deals with providers to create interactive content for its AOLTV TV service. Interactive TV allows viewers to access Web features such as e-mail and content that complements TV programming. It also lets viewers find and record programs more conveniently.

AOL has reportedly struck deals with QVC, the National Geographic Channel (which debuts in January), BBC America and the NBA.