SkyREPORT.COM News Headlines
News Update For 12/13/99
Investors Still Confident in Iridium
Iridium, the satellite telecommunications company, has obtained a funding commitment o f $20 million from its current investors. The company filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in August after it defaulted on more than $1.5 billion on loans. The new funding will be used for ongoing operations while the company pursues financial restructuring. Motorola, which is both a major investor and vendor for Iridium, is seeking broader participation from the company's other financial backers. Iridium provides international phone services through a network of 66 satellites. Motorola said it is currently preparing to begin the year-end shipment of its Satellite Series 9505 portable phone, a second generation Iridium product that's smaller and lighter than the initial design.
DirecTV Launches More Local Services
DirecTV has officially commended its local broadcast service in six more major television markets. The company announced local channel service in Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, and the San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland area. DirecTV customers in those markets now have the option of subscribing to a local channel package for $5.99 a month. In addition to the four major networks, the DirecTV local TV offering also includes a national PBS feed. "The availability of local channels ushers in a new era for DirecTV," said President Eddy Hartenstein. "By offering local channels on DirecTV, our customers can access entertainment and information that's most relevant to their lives and their community."
SIA Elects New Officers
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) recently announced new officers and executive committee representatives for the year 2000. Michael Fitch, vice president of regulatory affairs and spectrum for Hughes Communications and 1999 vice chair, will serve as the new SIA chair. Larry Atlas, vice president of government relations for Loral Space and Communi9cations and past SIA treasurer, will serve as vice chair. Jeffrey Trauberman, director of information and communications systems for the Boeing Company, is the new SIA treasurer for 2000. The three executive committee representatives will be Bob Martin, director of import/export controls, Motorola; Peter Hadinger, director of telecommunications policy, TRW; and Suzanne Hutchings, regulatory counsel, Teledesic. SIA represents leading U.S. space and communications companies in the commercial satellite industry. The association is dedicated to promoting the use of satellite technology in global communications.
SkyBox: A Word on Our Political Future
Imagine (if you can) a nation where direct contributions to political candidates count for little. Where PAC money moves fewer votes than the whistling of the wind. Where soft contributions to political parties fall like feathers on the D.C. landscape. Imagination feeling a bit overstretched? It shouldn't. According to a recent survey funded by Fortune magazine, you're living in such a nation. But wait. Don't lunge for that off button just yet. This does not .. repeat NOT ... mean that money counts for little in our political system. Au contraire. It counts for everything. Just in ways you may never have imagined. The Fortune survey (an annual affair reported this year in the December 6 issue of the magazine) was jointly conducted by the Mellman Group (a stalwart Democratic organization) and Public Opinion Strategies (firmly in the Republican camp). These folks sent surveys to a host of Washington insiders including lawmakers, lobbyists, congressional and White House aides. They sought rankings of the most powerful groups in terms of legislative clout. Their findings were simple: The single most important factor in influencing legislation is ... lobbying expenditures. Yep, plain, old, boring influence peddling by the Gucci/Ferragamo-shod set who daily ply the hallways of Congress. According to the Fortune poll, the more money spent on these folks' activities, the more clout in Congress. All of which brings us to the past, the future, and multichannel television. (You knew we had to get there sooner or later.) Just guess who ranks among this year's most powerful groups? In case you couldn't tell from the most recently passed legislation, it's none other than the National Association of Broadcasters, ranked number 20 on the "most powerful" list. This firm defender of the status quo spent $5.2 million on lobbying activities in 1998. Number 36 on the power list went to the National Cable Television Association, which shelled out $4.8 million in 1998. Not ranked was the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association; they had less than $500,000 to spend on lobbying activities. So here in the lull between last year's legislative frenzy and next year's sessions is something we just might want to ponder.PEOPLE: Galaxy Gets New President
- Foyo to Oversee DirecTV Latin America - Hughes Electronics has appointed George Foyo as president of Galaxy Latin America, the subsidiary that provides DirecTV in Latin America and the Caribbean. Foyo, who was formerly with AT&T, will handle the day-to-day business operations and profitability of the company.
- Executive Team Grows at AT&T BIS - Michael Huseby has joined AT&T Broadband & Internet Services (BIS) as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Huseby will work with CEO Daniel Somers and AT&T's newly-appointed CFO Chuck Noski on the team that's overseeing the AT&T BIS merger with MediaOne.
- Showtime Appoints New Media VP - Cynthia Sobieraj has been promoted to vice president, business development, new media at Showtime Networks. She will be responsible for identifying, analyzing and developing new business opportunities in the area of technology and new media.