TECHNOLOGY - May 18, 1994

First U.S. Hookup With Cable, Telephone Company: Rochester Telephone has agreed to connect with a phone system Time Warner Cable is building from its cable TV operation in the city, likely making Rochester, N.Y., the first U.S. city where people will be able to make phone calls over their cable TV systems. The agreement is the first of its kind between a cable operator and a major telephone company in the United States. Phone service through cable systems is becoming common in Britain, where telecommunications laws are less restrictive. The staff of the New York Public Service Commission approved the pact, but commissioners must still act. If they approve the deal, Time Warner Cable’s phone service could be running next year in Rochester, spokesman Michael Luftman said.