1.   Sprint, aiming to sidestep Bell lines, is turning to its cable partners.

2.   And baseball knew that it could not achieve the presence and level of marketing it gets with ESPN if it ended up with another cable partner.

3.   Analysts say Cox is in the best financial shape of the three cable company partners.

4.   And just Monday the largest of those cable partners, Tele-Communications, served notice that it would choose its local phone markets selectively.

5.   As their first endeavor, Sprint and its cable partners will bid in December on licenses to deploy the next generation of wireless phone service.

6.   As they build their wireless networks, Sprint and its cable partners also need to upgrade the cable TV systems to carry communications and two-way video.

7.   Bettman refused to be specific when asked about circumstances or prime-time television, either on NBC or on its cable partners MSNBC and CNBC.

8.   A cable partner can theoretically increase fees to cable operators as well.

9.   But even without FCC correction, the willingness of Sprint to do business with its cable partners suggests that current rules may not be onerous.

10.   CBS is keeping the whole package to itself and has no plans at the moment to sell off first- and second-round inventory to a cable partner.