- - - Texas Still Tops State-by-State Sub Counts - - -

Everything's big in Texas, including the number of satellite television subscribers.

Second quarter DTH subscription data from SkyTRENDS indicates that Texas is still the only state in the union that has logged more than 1 million satellite television customers. As of July 1999, Texas racked up 1,107,223 subscribers.

That tidbit, along with a national map that reports the number of satellite and cable television subscribers for each state, is highlighted in the August printed edition of SkyREPORT. For more information on the publication, call Gina Rayne at 303-271-9960 or send e-mail to skyreport@mediabiz.com.

- - - DirecTV-DISH Sweeten Anti-Cable Offer - - -

DirecTV has extended an offer to residents of the Village of Itasca, Ill., who recently chose to switch to satellite television as a means of creating more competition for their local cable provider, AT&T.

The Itasca Village Board formally approved a program that will allow residents to receive a $100 rebate beginning Sept. 1 if they cancel cable and subscribe to satellite TV. DirecTV has agreed to supplement that rebate along with their current national promotion.

The company will provide free installation between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 along with three free months of Total Choice Platinum programming and three complimentary issues of its official program guide SEE Magazine. The entire offer is worth $400 for each participating resident who purchases a DirecTV system and subscribes to Total Choice Platinum and NFL Sunday Ticket. The deals are part of DirecTV's current national offer to consumers.

DirecTV also will extend Itasca's $100 rebate beyond the number of installations allowed in the town's program budget of $10,000, increasing the offer's value to more than $500 for new subscribers.

An EchoStar spokesman said the company also will offer a deal to Itasca residents, details of which will be announced today. It will be a variation of the company's national promotion where customers can get a free system and free installation if they commit to paying for a year of programming.

If Itasca residents take the DISH offer, they won't be held to the company's rebate plan, in which a typical customer gets a rebate on their purchase after they pay their first bill. EchoStar also can offer local channels to Itasca residents, he said.

- - - DISH Gets Target As Retail Partner - - -

Target is selling EchoStar's DISH Network and its DBS systems in stores nationwide.

In addition to Target, Sears sells DISH Network equipment under the JVC brand. Denver-based Ultimate Electronics also sells the EchoStar product in its stores in nine states. Other chains carry DISH as well, adding up to more than 20,000 points of presence nationwide for the service.

The Target move helps EchoStar's battle with DBS rival DirecTV, which has retail deals with Circuit City, Best Buy, RadioShack, Kmart and others.

- - - Hewitt Wins D.C. Recognition - - -

Chuck Hewitt, president of the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association, was named one of 50 most influential association heads working in the nation's capital by The Washingtonian magazine.

Hewitt, who came to Washington, D.C., in 1974 to work for the National Space Institute, joins a who's who list of Beltway bigwigs. The magazine's top guns include Eddie Fritts, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, and Hilary Rosen, head of the Recording Industry Association of America.

The magazine's No. 1 pick was Jack Valenti, who represents the Motion Picture Association of America. Hewitt's pick as one of the top 50 association leaders is significant given that there are literally thousands of lobbying organizations in Washington.

- - - Shuttle May Rescue Orion 3 - - -

NASA may send a shuttle crew to rescue Loral's Orion 3 satellite, stranded in a useless orbit after a failed May rocket launch, according to Florida Today.

It could take months before a decision is made about retrieving the satellite. It also could take up to two years to mount a mission, the publication said.

The space agency would be paid for the job. A typical shuttle flight costs about $450 million.

Last week, Loral announced it leased transponder space aboard the Apstar 2R satellite from APT Satellite in Hong Kong. The capacity will help the company make up for the Orion 3 loss.

- - - TECHNOLOGY: - - -

• Iridium Helps Turkish Rescue Efforts -
  Iridium sent 25 hand-held Motorola portable phones to Turkey in an effort to support the Turkish government's search and rescue efforts following last Tuesday's earthquake. The phones have enabled Turkish military personnel to communicate throughout the devastated area and to coordinate search and rescue operations in remote locations. Iridium is providing free air-time and a subsidiary is paying for the phones and associated landline costs.

• Satellite System Installed in Snowplows -
  The Southeastern Michigan Snow and Ice Management (SEMSIM) Partners selected the ORBTRAC-100 satellite-based vehicle location and two-way messaging system developed by Orbital Sciences. The system will help track and manage a portion of SEMSIM's road maintenance fleets. Under the $1.1 million contract, the ORBTRAC-100 system will be installed on 40 snowplows, with phased installations on the entire 500-vehicle fleet over the next two to three years.

• Hughes Systems Used in Oil and Gas Exploration -
  Hughes Network Systems announced Monday that Real Time Communications, the mobile-communications company, will use HNS VSATs to provide voice and data communications for oil and gas exploration efforts. Real Time will deploy HNS VSATs to help clients overcome the cost and infrastructure issues associated with communicating between data centers and remote drilling sites, many of which are in parts of the world where local communications infrastructures are either nonexistent or underdeveloped.

• Raytheon Demonstrates New Ka-Band Service -
  Raytheon successfully demonstrated simultaneous broadband video, high-speed LAN-to-WAN, Internet and telephony services using its one-meter dish over a live, two-way Ka-Band satellite link. The goal of the company is to provide low-cost broadband satellite customer premise equipment.

• Satellites To Enable Mobile Web Access -
  The Chicago Tribune reported recently that General Motors is developing cars with build-in Internet access. The "Web cars" will be equipped with GM's OnStar emergency communications system that will employ global position satellites and onboard computer sensors to call for medical help when air bags deploy or for mechanical assistance. The satellites will also be able to pinpoint a vehicle's exact location.