SkyREPORT.COM News Headlines
News Update For 1/24/00
PanAmSat Launch Set Today
The second of seven flights for PanAmSat's aggressive launch schedule will take place Monday from Arianespace's facility in South America. Galaxy XR is scheduled to launch on an Ariane 42L from Kourou, French Guiana, during a window that opens at 8:12 p.m. Eastern Time and closes at 8:44. Galaxy XR will become the fifth satellite in the Galaxy cable neighborhood, which delivers television to nearly all of the 11,000 cable systems throughout the United States. The payload, a Hughes-built satellite with 24 C-Band and 24 Ku-Band transponders, also will deliver Internet and telecommunications services throughout North America. The Galaxy satellites have been popular among cable programmers for more than 20 years. "The new satellite will fulfill a pent-up demand among programmers to be in the Galaxy neighborhood," said Dave Berman, PanAmSat senior vice president for North America. "For the Galaxy satellites, it's been a long time in the business." Galaxy XR will be located at 123 degrees. Galaxy IX will move to 127 degrees. With the recently-launched Galaxy XI at 125 degrees, cable headends can focus on a specific part of the satellite orbital arc for a lot of their programming. "With all three spacecraft that close together, it creates a very simple solution," Berman said. PanAmSat wants to put seven additional satellites into orbit by mid-2001, taking its fleet size to 25 birds. The Galaxy XR flight comes less than five weeks after the launch of Galaxy XI, another cable neighborhood satellite serving North America.
Broadcasters Trying To Gut Retrans Rules
The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association, in reply comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission on retransmission consent rules, criticized broadcasters' attempts to gut good faith and exclusivity requirements that are part of new DTH regulations. The SBCA urged the commission to reject broadcasters' attempts to "eviscerate SHVIA's (Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act) good faith and exclusivity requirements." The association said it's concerned "that the National Association of Broadcasters views the statutory good faith requirement as a meaningless 'largely hortatory' provision that is impossible to implement. Such a position is indefensible." The SBCA also said attempts to extract retransmission of local signals for carriage of other channels "should be regarded as per se violation of the good faith obligation." DirecTV voiced similar concerns in its initial filing on retransmission consent rules. The SBCA is urging the FCC to adopt "specific, concrete" rules that define what constitutes bad faith in negotiations. It's also asking the commission to establish rules prohibiting TV stations from entering exclusive deals.
Intelsat Seeks US Licenses
Intelsat LLC, recently created for on-going privatization efforts at the global satellite consortium, filed with the Federal Communications Commission a consolidated application for authority to operate C-Band and Ku-Band systems. The application seeks U.S. licenses for 17 in-orbit satellites, 10 replacement satellites and 13 orbital redeployments. The application addresses a critical element of Intelsat's plan to privatize by April 2001. Intelsat, an intergovernmental entity established by international treaty, is not directly licensed by the FCC or any other country. In connection with Intelsat's privatization, orbital positions and frequencies now registered internationally for Intelsat's use will be licensed to the private successor company.
SkyBOX: Reading the Tea Leaves
For anyone who's still in doubt about what the next big thing in media will be, just consider the news from the last two weeks:
- Hughes Electronics announces a radical reorganization with new emphasis on a full range of satellite-delivered consumer and business services.
- Under the direction of Dr. John Malone, Liberty Media makes a significant investment in iSKY, a satellite-delivered, two-way Internet service due for launch in 2001. TV Guide, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and the good Doctor's Liberty, also puts a sizable wad of cash in the iSKY coffers.
- The good Doctor sheds more of his shares in AT&T.
- Wall Street lifts its collective nose at AT&T as the telephone/cable giant reveals that the costs of building new cable plant have eaten into expected earnings.
If those tea leaves were piranha, we'd all be skeletons by now singing the "everything, everywhere, all the time" mantra. Fact is that new satellite technology plus plummeting memory costs promise to recreate the world of media, throwing television, radio, Internet and telephony onto a fast wireless curve. (You should note, of course, that we said "promise;" much of this new technology has yet to hit the hard real-world streets.) Still, for the moment, satellite's ability to deliver new services to vast areas quickly and efficiently are riding at the crest of the broadband future wave. With this in mind, we thought we'd let you know that the next SkyFORUM event, scheduled for March 28 in New York City, will focus on the new technology potential of satellite. (Slick how we got into that, huh? Shades of Paul Harvey.) If you'd like more information on this upcoming media/Wall Street event, please contact Rachel Zink at 703-739-8363.
PEOPLE: Via Satellite Awards Connelly
- Satellite Magazine Honors GE Americon CEO - Phillips Business Information announced that John Connelly, chairman and chief executive officer of GE American Communications (GE Americom), has been named Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year for 1999. The selection committee said Connelly received this honor because under his leadership, GE Americom has continued its aggressive plans to expand its operational mandate and enhance global satellite services.
- CES Promotes Three Executives - The Consumer Electronics Association promoted Karen Chupka to vice president, events and conferences, Michael Petricone to vice president, technology policy, and Evan Shubin to vice president, CES sales and marketing. The association’s staff changes came in conjunction with a series of realignments aimed at promoting institutional growth, flexibility and entrepreneurship.
- Hughes Veteran Joins Teledesic - Bob Day has joined Teledesic, the company that is building a global, broadband Internet-in-the-Sky, as vice president of systems technology. Prior to joining Teledesic, Day spent 19 years at Hughes Space and Communications.