21.   Other phone companies have delayed similar services.

22.   Some companies delayed their IPOs.

23.   State and federal court decisions have generally allowed companies to delay disclosure of important developments while a merger is pending.

24.   Telephone companies have delayed spending while planning their strategies for deregulation and moving into the Internet market, he said.

25.   That followed earlier reports that the company delayed the sinking of the platform because of bad weather and protests by Greenpeace activists.

26.   That uncertainty, in turn, further slows the process, as companies delay expensive reports and analyses while reassessing their likelihood of success.

27.   The company also will delay springtime merit raises until October.

28.   The company has already delayed two strikes, one of which was planned for today, to allow for further negotiations with PDVSA.

29.   The company has delayed some technology roll-outs, including its airport check-in kiosks.

30.   The company already has delayed the introduction of the program a year and two months.