Revista Latin Trade articles from June 2004

Revista Latin Trade archives from June 2004

New ground.(Editor's Note)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Editors typically use this space to talk about what's in the current issue. This month I thought it best to talk a moment about big changes taking place here. First off, June is our first month in Portuguese. After more than five years as...

Taking off.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... The LATIN TRADE article on the proliferation, or lack thereof, of low-cost carriers in Latin America ("Flight Plan," March 2004) would do good to look beyond Gol and Aerolitoral. For its part, Gol has been widely successful in Brazil, and has...

Bon apetit.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... On behalf of the entire Restaurant Palacio Danubin Azul staff, I would like to express our most sincere gratitude for being recognized as part of The Best of Latin America ("Best of Latin America," February 2004). Since opening more than 45...

Tax breaks.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2004... In The Best of Latin America Anniversary issue ("Best of Latin America," February 2004), on the Best Hotel for Executives in Santiago, it says, "Foreign guests who pay their bill in dollars or using a credit card, do not pay taxes." In reality...

Slim's march.(Panorama)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Mexican telecommunications company Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex), which has a 95% domestic market sham, can't get much bigger at home, so it is now looking abroad for future growth opportunities. First, Telmex acquired AT&T Latin America for...

Lucent Technologies.(Regional)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES, a U.S. telecommunications company, has signed contracts to provide equipment, software and services to Andinatel of Ecuador, Hondutel of Honduras, and MoviStar in Puerto Rico. Terms were not disclosed.

Southern Cone Power.(Argentina)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SOUTHERN CONE POWER, a Latin American subsidiary of U.S. power company CDC Globeleq, sold its 6.8% stake in Argentina's Costanera Central Buenos Aires to a group of Chilean investors for an undisclosed sum. The company says the sale is part of...

Bolivia's Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons.(Bolivia)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BOLIVIA'S MINISTRY OF MINES AND HYDROCARBONS blocked the construction of a US$80 million natural gas pipeline being built by Petrobras, claiming the Brazilian state-owned oil company has not fulfilled legal requirements to transport the gas to...

Embraer.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... EMBRAER, a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, received a US$320 million order for 16 of its ERJ 145LR-model jets from U.S. airline group Republic Airways Holdings. Separately, Republic Airways Holdings ordered 50 Embraer 170-model aircraft and...

Georgia-Pacific.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GEORGIA-PACIFIC, a U.S. conglomerate, sold its minority indirect interest in Brazilian pulp producer Aracruz Celulose for US$75 million to an unnamed Brazilian buyer. The company says it will use the funds to reduce debt.

Bohler-Uddeholm.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BOHLER-UDDEHOLM, an Austrian specialty-steel maker, acquired 100% of Brazil's Villares Metals, a manufacturer of tool steel, high-speed steel and valve steel, for US$74 million. Bohler-Uddeholm consolidated Villares Metals at the beginning of...

Brasil Telecom.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BRASIL TELECOM, a Brazilian fixed-line carrier, signed a three-year service contract with the government of the State of Mate Grosso to modernize its information network. Terms were not disclosed.

Caprock Communications.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CAPROCK COMMUNICATIONS, a U.S. satellite provider, acquired Brazil's Blue Sky Comunicacoes and created Brazilian holding company CapRock Holdings do Brasil Participacoes to provide satellite service in South America. Terms of the agreement were...

Innovative Communication.(Central America)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATION, a U.S. telecommunications company, acquired a 52% stake in Belize Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) from the government of Belize for US$57 million. Innovative, said the purchase is part of a $100 million investment...

AES Gener.(Chile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... AES GENER, a Chilean unit of U.S. energy company AES, issued US$400 million in bonds in international markets as part of the power company's debt restructuring plan. AES Gener said it planned to use the funds to finance a voluntary repurchase...

PPL Corporation.(Chile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... PPL CORPORATION, a U.S. energy company, sold its 8.7% stake in Chile's Compania General de Electricidad for US$123 million. PPL said the sale would flee it up to improve efficiency of its majority-owned electric distribution companies in Chile,...

Farmacias Ahumada.(Chile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... FARMACIAS AHUMADA, a Chilean pharmacy chain, created an independent company called Fasa Corp. that will build a new distribution center for Farmacias Ahumada. Fasa will be capitalized at US$1.6 million.

LAN.(Chile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... LAN, the Chilean airline formerly Known as Lan Chile, announced plans to sell up to 10% of the airline's total shares. LAN expects the sale will increase the liquidity of its shares.

Sierra Miranda.(Chile)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... SIERRA MIRANDA, a Chilean mining company, sold its Sierra Miranda copper mine to CastleRock Resources, a Canadian mining company, for US$20 million. An additional US$2 million to $6 million will be paid two years after the transaction is...

Codensa.(Colombia)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CODENSA, a Colombian unit: of Spanish electricity company Endesa, issued US$187 million in bonds maturing over the next 10 years. Codensa said the move was part of a plan to replace short-term debt with long-term heads.

Mexico announced that it reached a free trade agreement with Japan following negotiations that began in late 2002.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... MEXICO announced that it reached a free trade agreement with Japan following negotiations that began in late 2002. Neither country gave a specific date for the signing of the accord, which is expected to take effect in 2005.

Grupo Elektra.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GRUPO ELEKTRA, a Mexican conglomerate, redeemed US$275 million in senior notes that were due in 2008. Grupo Elektra said the move allows the company to save $40 million in financial expenses as well as strengthen its balance sheet.

Empresas ICA.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... EMPRESAS ICA, a Mexican construction company, signed four government contracts valued at more than US$89 million to develop road projects in Hidalgo and Puebla. Empresas ICA also will build a hospital in Mexico City.

Bank of Nova Scotia.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA, a Canadian bank, paid nearly US$53 minion for a 6.3% stake in its Mexican subsidiary Scotiabank-Inverlat, raising its ownership in the bank to 97.3%. The Canadian bank said it is willing to buy all remaining shares in...

Grupo Bimbo.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GRUPO BIMBO, a Mexican bread company, paid US$26 million to take over confectionery companies Joyco de Mexico, Alimentos Dural, and Lolimen from Spain's Corporacion Agrolimen and a group of Mexican shareholders. The combined annual sales for...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, a Japanese manufacturer, opened a subsidiary in Mexico City as part of a company plan to attract business from large plants in Mexico as well as explore business opportunities in Central America.

Grupo Televisa.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... GRUPO TELEVISA, a Mexican media company, will restructure its shares to incorporate certain stocks of Grupo Televicentro, Televisa's holding company. Televisa says the move will not dilute the equity interests of current shareholders. Televisa...

The milkman cometh.(Panorama)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... As the smoke from the US$18 billion Parmalat accounting explosion began to clear, the Italian government's appointed company administrator Enrico Bondi launched a global corporate restructuring plan, which includes selling subsidiaries in 20 of...

Mexican Business Mogul Carlos Slim.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... MEXICAN BUSINESS MOGUL CARLOS SLIM acquired a 5% stake in U.S. telecommunications company Global Crossing for an undisclosed sum. ST Telemedia, of Singapore, still maintains its majority ownership of Global Crossing.

Kellogg Company.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... KELLOGG COMPANY, a U.S. food company, will begin construction on a new production facility in Toluca, Mexico, the company's third manufacturing operation in the country. Terms were not disclosed.

Mexico has reopened its market to selected U.S. beef imports, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... MEXICO has reopened its market to selected U.S. beef imports, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Mexico's gradual ease on its U.S. beef ban has given the United States access to 74% of the US$1 billion export market in...

Capital Gold.(Mexico)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CAPITAL GOLD, a U.S. mining company, raised to 95% from 70% its stake in Mexican gold mine El Chanate, buying out Grupo Minero of Mexico, which retains the remaining 5%. High gold prices prompted Capital Gold to up its stake in the mine. Terms...

Ready for takeoff.(Panorama)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Airlines from all over the region are looking at bankrupt Colombian airline Avianca as a potential asset. Brazilian conglomerate Grupo Sinergy has proposed to take the carrier out of bankruptcy by taking on nearly US$300 million of the...

Crystallex.(Venezuela)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CRYSTALLEX, a Canadian mining company, awarded a US$28 million engineering procurement and construction management contract to Canadian engineering company SNC-Lavalin to work on its Las Cristinas gold project in Venezuela. SNC-Lavalin...

ChevronTexaco.(Venezuela)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CHEVRONTEXACO, a U.S. oil company, won a license to explore for natural gas off Venezuela's Atlantic coast, as part of the company's plan to increase natural gas access for the United States. Terms were not disclosed.

Crystallex, a Canadian mining company, has appointed BNP Paribas, a French financial institution, to advise on the project financing of the miner's Las Cristinas gold mine in southern Venezuela.(Venezuela)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... CRYSTALLEX, a Canadian mining company, has appointed BNP Paribas, a French financial institution, to advise on the project financing of the miner's Las Cristinas gold mine in southern Venezuela. Deustche Bank had been advising Crystallex on the...

Colombia's Congress approved an anti-terrorism bill that, if passed, would allow the military to detain individuals, search homes and intercept communications without judicial warrant.(Human Rights)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Colombia's Congress approved an anti-terrorism bill that, if passed, would allow the military to detain individuals, search homes and intercept communications without judicial warrant. Amnesty International issued a statement saying that the...

The World Trade Organization has ruled that telecommunications regulations in Mexico, which require connection with Mexican operators to complete calls coming from the United States, violate international trade rules.(Telecommunications)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The World Trade Organization has ruled that telecommunications regulations in Mexico, which require connection with Mexican operators to complete calls coming from the United States, violate international trade rules. The United States claims...

Mexican beverage company Femsa, through its U.S. subsidiary Wisdom Import Sales, filed a lawsuit to block the transfer of a minority stake in the Labatt USA unit of Belgium's Interbrew to Brazil's Ambev as part of the announced merger between those two brewers.(Beverages)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Mexican beverage company Femsa, through its U.S. subsidiary Wisdom Import Sales, filed a lawsuit to block the transfer of a minority stake in the Labatt USA unit of Belgium's Interbrew to Brazil's Ambev as part of the announced merger between...

Brazilian Regional Electoral Court.(Corruption)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A Brazilian Regional Electoral Court in the State of Piaui found federal lawmaker Antonio Jose De Moraes Souza guilty of bribing voters during political campaigns by giving away free medication, including the anti-impotence drug Viagra. State...

Bolivia filed a lawsuit against bankrupt U.S. energy company Enron in hopes of recovering US$130 million it paid in 1994 for a gas pipeline project linking the landlocked country and Brazil.(Oil & Gas)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Bolivia filed a lawsuit against bankrupt U.S. energy company Enron in hopes of recovering US$130 million it paid in 1994 for a gas pipeline project linking the landlocked country and Brazil. The Bolivian government argues Enron did not make any...

Home-grown grape.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A French wine expert wandering through a vineyard near Santiago spotted out-of-place reddish leaves among merlot grapes. Tests confirmed the grape was not a merlot but a carmenere, which had disappeared from France during a phylloxera plant...

Chat line.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... "There is lots of room for financial engineering."--Roberto Lavagna, Argentine economy minister (Financial Times)

Good news on the air.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... No Central American country needs an image makeover as badly as Nicaragua. The country seems to make the international press only in times of war, natural disasters or corruption scandals. But that's about to change, even if Nicaragua has to...

Pay back.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Latin Americans living abroad sent a record US$38 billion to friends and family back home during 2003, or $6 billion more than they did a year earlier. Those payments, known as remittances, inject more money into the region than foreign direct...

Signing off.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... The Venezuelan Supreme Court dealt a blow to the political opposition of President Hugo Chavez when it rejected signatures from a referendum to yank the president from office. The opposition needed 2.4 million signatures to call for an early...

Rockers without borders.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Latin American music fans have something new to rave about. VH1 Latinoamerica has begun broadcasting in Latin America, treating viewers to original programming favorites such as Behind the Music, Before They Were Rock Stars and Divas. MTV...

Big bank watch: net income as of Dec. 31, 2003.(Radar)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... DEAR SHAREHOLDERS... * Banco de Chile In 2003, Chile's second-largest bank in terms of assets managed, earned US$218 million in 2003, or 150% more than it did in 2002. The bank credited lower operating expenses, greater recoveries of...

Standing up to Redmond: government has a choice to make on software spending, and it should be free to do so.(Silicon Jack)
June 1, 2004... In raising the banner of software libre--free software--Brazil may have sparked a rebellion against a corporate titan that could have repercussions for the rest of Latin America. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration has been...

Ready, set, stop: gas sales to a ravenous North American market should have saved South American suppliers. Yet they might be taking a backseat to Indonesia and Trinidad & Tobago.(Oil & Gas)
June 1, 2004... Indigenous groups in Bolivia not only ousted Bolivian President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada last year. They also raised doubts about a multi-billion dollar project to export natural gas from Bolivia to gas-hungry consumers and industry in the...

Brand TV: Argentine airtime goes cheap, so advertisers go long--with their own shows.(Marketing)
June 1, 2004... Martin leaves his gated-community home to pick up his cultured brother and mother from the airport then, as he tells his stuffy wife, instead drove to the state prison. So begins a television comedy of cover-ups and crime starring, of all...

A seller's market: as trade deals kick in and economies ignite, Latin America's hot exporters reap the rewards.(Cover Story)
June 1, 2004... As talks for a free trade area for the hemisphere seem mired down, the biggest actors in the market, Mexico. Brazil and the United States, are driving forward with side deals and global plans. A sluggish world economy would have been met in the...

The US$80 billion man.(Brazil's Luiz Fernando Furlan)(Interview)
June 1, 2004... Brazilian exports are expected to break records in 2004, which would be good news on top of good news. After hitting a $24 billion trade surplus in 2003, also a record and an 89% increase over the previous year the country's economy is revving...

Half full, and rising: investment pros are bullish on a recovery led by stocks--U.S. interest rates and elections not withstanding.(Finance)
June 1, 2004... The bulls are limping along while the bears are still mostly hibernating in 2004, at least for now. Despite some investors' jitters about, among other things, the health of the world economy, stocks, after a stellar rally last year, continue to...

Hack job: tech savvy Brazil becomes a haven for those who dwell on the dark side of technology--hackers.(Security)
June 1, 2004... Brazil quicky embraces new technology, yet the country is becoming a haven for cybercrooks who rob hanks. And the loot is adding up. A 23-year-old Brazilian hacker from the east-central city of Goiania claims to have set up a 15-member...

Cow chips: an Argentine company hopes to graze top dollars on a cattle identification system.(Food Safety)
June 1, 2004... Argentines can do something now that nobody else can do--they can read the life story of the cows that produced the steak they eat. And they can do it all on microchip. The U.S. beef industry will suffer from bans on its products thanks to...

Gear box.(Connection)
June 1, 2004... PALMONE TREO 600 SMARTPHONE Wireless phone Price: US$599 www.palmone.com * The Good The product combines a telephone, a camera and an organzier in a light handheld unit. The product is great for business or personal use...

Pipeline.(Connection)
June 1, 2004... MOTOROLA V600 Cellular telephone www.motorola.com Roams globally, downloads MP3 ringtones and catches color news, sports and video clips Just released CANON POWERSHOT S500 Digital camera www.powershot.com ...

Hot hands.(Connection)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Demand for cellular telephones is surging in Latin America, especially in Argentina, where the market is reemerging from the ashes of financial crises. In Argentina, consumers are expected to buy 5 million handsets in 2004. That's three...

Postage due: Mexico's postal service fights to dominate the lucrative lightweight package delivery service.(Services)
June 1, 2004... The Mexican postal service Sepomex wants your business. In fact, if you want to send a package under 350 grams, Sepomex wants to make sure it is your only choice. Sepomex has been calling for legal reform that would give it a monopoly on...

Shape up or ship out: new regulations have Brazil's port operators rushing to upgrade security.(Ports)
June 1, 2004... It's June 30, 2004. A cargo ship loaded with containers approaches the Brazilian coast, scheduled for a quick stop at a shipping terminal. It drops off some boxes, picks up some others and heads to the next port of call--business as usual. ...

Portside politics: a Bolivian railroad operator seeks access to the Chilean coast.(Privatization)
June 1, 2004... Bolivians may finally have access to the sea. Or at least one might. This month Chile will accept bids from companies interested in operating the port at Arica, a town on the Peruvian border, and one potential Bolivian bidder feels he is...

Sweet deal: Argentine candy maker sees new business in its own port.(Trade Lanes)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... A new port will grow from a sweet dream to a moneymaking reality for Argentine candy producer Axcor. The company will spend US$20 million to build its own port in San Pedro, about 150 kilometers north of Buenos Aires. The port will export...

Digital sensations.(Special Advertising Feature)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... Few trends in electronics have taken the consumer market by storm like digital imaging. Nearly 300 million digital image capture devices are expected to be in use worldwide by the end of 2004, according to estimates from InfoTrends Research...

Espirito Santo Plaza residences: living on vacation.(Focus On)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... UNPARALLELED URBAN LUXURY AT ONE OF MIAMI'S most desirable new addresses awaits residents of Espirito Santo Plaza, the city's newly completed architectural icon. Espirito Santo Plaza, a $200 million, 36-story glass tower of magnificent...

Travelers find exceptional hotels in Latin America.(Special Advertising Feature)(Advertisement)
June 1, 2004... Travelers can choose from many quality hotels throughout Latin America, but will likely return again and again to those they feel offer an exceptionally good stay. Although the definition of an exceptionally good hotel stay varies from...

Southern skies: a profitable Uruguayan airline becomes the latest takeover target.(Aviation)
June 1, 2004... South America is full of well-known airlines. Chile's LAN, Brazil's Varig and Argentina's Aerolineas Argentinas have been carrying passengers across the continent for years. U.S. and European airlines also fight for market share in the region,...

Checking into Buenos Aires: a devalued currency means business for online apartment rental procurers.(Real Estate)
June 1, 2004... When the Argentine economy imploded in December 2001, Pablo Blay and Mariana Travacio were facing disaster with their three-year-old business, ByT Argentina Travel & Housing, an online listing of rental apartments in Buenos Aires's posh...

Ticket to ride.(Ask The Concierge)
June 1, 2004... Why can't I print my boarding pass for international flights? According to major airlines serving Latin America, you are better off checking in at the counter for international flights. Many countries require different documents for...

Beating the system.(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... Perfectly Legal By David Johnston Penguin Group US$25.95 It has practically become a cliche: Latin America is poor because of endemic corruption, while the United States has prospered due to its transparent legal, government and corporate...

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office.(Brief Case)(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Lois P. Frankel A guide for women on how to climb to the top in the corporate world, plus career mistakes and how to avoid them. Pocket version: If you want to triumph in the corporate world, act like...

The Leadership Pill.(Brief Case)(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... The Leadership Pill, Ken Blanchard An executive takes a leadership pill, and his rival takes nothing. Which one wins? The one who didn't take a pill. Blanchard reveals the secrets of business leaders. Hint: They don't learn everything...

Oryx and Crake.(Brief Case)(Book Review)
June 1, 2004... Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood A hermit seeks refuge from high technology after big corporations have turned the future world into a desert wasteland through uncontrolled genetic engineering. A provocative novel.

Kill Bill Vol. 1.(Brief Case)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... After a six-year absence, director Quentin Tarantino is back with Pulp Fiction star Uma Thurman as a martial-arts assasin who decides to kill those who killed her fiance. Now on DVD.

Argentina received US$3.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of a $13.3 billion stand-by agreement approved in September 2003, due to continued economic recovery.(Argentina)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... ARGENTINA received US$3.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of a $13.3 billion stand-by agreement approved in September 2003, due to continued economic recovery. The IMF encouraged the government to design a debt...

Brazil received US$1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BRAZIL received US$1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a portion of a $40.2 billion stand-by agreement. In a statement, the IMF lauded Brazil's fiscal reforms.

Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES).(Brazil)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... BANCO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO ECONOMICO E SOCIAL (BNDES), the Brazilian development bank, financed corporate investments aimed at finding alternative energy sources. Companies eligible for up to 70% in financing from BNDES must have...

Colombia received US$400 million from the Andean Development Corporation.(Colombia)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... COLOMBIA received US$400 million from the Andean Development Corporation to finance infrastructure projects for urban development.

Indicators.
June 1, 2004... Latin America and the Caribbean GDP Industrial production % change on year ago % change on year ago LP Consensus Forecast * ...

El Salvador: slow but steady.(Indicators)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Thirty-nine-year-old president-elect Tony Saca takes office this month after campaigning to continue the free-market policies of his predecessor, Francisco Flores Perez. Saca continues an uninterrupted 15-year reign of the pro-business Alianza...

As goods go east, money flies south.(Indicators)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2004... Money is flowing into Latin America again. Experts predict US$43 billion will enter the region in 2004, counting together portfolio investments such as stocks and bonds and direct investments. That's lower than the recent high of $99 billion in...

Privatizations.
June 1, 2004... PRIVATIZATIONS SECTOR PROJECT DESCRIPTION AVIATION CHILE Region IV airport 20-year concession to build and operate CHILE Region IX...

Agenda.(Calendar)
June 1, 2004... EVENTS 6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON CASH AND TREASURY MANAGEMENT IN MEXICO Conference on Treasury Issues June 1-2 Mexico City, Mexico Contact: Michelle Roniak Tel: [44] (207) 330-1000 Fax: [44] (207) 330-1007 ...

For richer, for poorer.(Point Of View)
June 1, 2004... The government of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo recently sponsored the largest collective marriage in Brazil ever, in which 1,339 pairs of low-income couples tied the knot for free. Under new rules that took effect in January of 2003, people...