The feverish pace of the telecommunications business is about to get even more frenzied in the wake of the America Online - Time Warner, merger as well as other  recent mergers in this industry.  This is likely to trigger a new flurry of record setting mergers and acquisitions raising the stakes in the telecommunications field even higher.

The Delta Council's 1999 Economic Progress Report is more than merely a financial snapshot of the 18-county area. It's a report card, giving solid, healthy marks, that spans 18 years of economic growth in the Mississippi Delta.
"The important thing to note is that this measures progress over time," said Mark Manning, Director of Development at Delta Council. "By measuring trend lines over time, we think you get a much better picture of where we are headed."
For instance, manufacturing employment in the Delta increased 22% in the last 18 years, even though U.S. manufacturing employment remained flat or decreased, Manning said.