The Federal Communications Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on the computer model used in predicting signal intensity to determine unserved households. Many in the satellite industry have lobbied for an improved predictive model and signal reception standard for determining whether a consumer resides in an area unserved by a local broadcast network. Some complain that the current Individual Location Longley Rice (ILLR) model does not take into account terrain, building structures and other land cover variations. This is the third notice out of eight rulemakings that will be issued by the FCC for the implementation of Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act. Comments are due Feb. 22, and replies are due March 7.

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December A Record For Digital TV

Factory-to-dealer sales of digital television products closed out 1999 by posting record numbers in December. Digital TV sales for the last month of 1999 surpassed 23,000 units, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. The December sales figure brought 1999 sales to 121,226 units and total sales since the introduction of digital TV, which occurred in August 1998, to 134,402. Digital TV sales in December increased by 5 percent over November's sales. Total fourth quarter DTV sales equaled 67,811 units, representing a 157 percent increase over third quarter sales and a 467 percent increase over second quarter sales. CEA projects that the first 10 million DTV units will be sold by 2003, the next 10 million in 2004 and 2005, and 10.8 million in 2006.

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Canadian DBS Soars Past 700000

Canada's two DBS services have gathered more than 700,000 customers, according to year-end numbers. Bell ExpressVu, a unit of Canada's BCE, is serving more than 430,000 subscribers through its high-power offering. The company added more than 250,000 subscribers in 1999. In December alone, Bell ExpressVu added more than 43,000 subscribers. Star Choice, which merged with Canadian Satellite Communications (Cancom) in August, reported 340,000 subscribers for the end of 1999. It added 28,000 new customers in December. While gray market activity remains an issue for Canadians, the two DBS companies have put a significant dent into the use of illegitimate dishes connecting users with U.S. programming. Local channels and coverage of Canada's favorite pastime, hockey, have helped curb the use of gray market equipment.

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Media Titans Sue iCraveTV

Movie studios and broadcasters filed suit Thursday against iCraveTV.com, the Canadian company sending copyrighted television programs over the Internet. Plaintiffs include Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Sony's Columbia-TriStar Television, Viacom's Paramount and Time Warner Entertainment. The purpose of the suit is to "stop what we think is one of the most brazen thefts of intellectual property ever committed in the U.S.," said Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. Last year, lawmakers added a provision to satellite TV legislation that would have banned Internet sites from carrying local TV broadcasts. The provision was killed after America Online and other Internet companies fought it.

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EchoStar Assists Safe Schools Project

The National Education Association, with some help from EchoStar, aired the first show of a 10-part series aimed at keeping schools safe on Thursday. The NEA Safe Schools Now Network was created by educators and others to address school safety in the aftermath of the shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. EchoStar donated 1,000 free satellite dishes and air time aboard one of its satellites. "As a Littleton-based company, EchoStar is proud to take an active role in the promotion of preventive measures against violence in America's schools," said Chairman Charlie Ergen. Additional programs will air in the fall and spring of 2001.

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PROGRAMMING: Sundance Launches Series