PanAmSat and JSAT announced strategic partnership for distribution of digital video, data and Internet services in Asia Pacific market. Alliance complements original PanAmSat and JSAT Horizons joint venture that supports construction and operation of Ku-band satellite over U.S.
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MARRAKESH, Morocco -- Although they insist telecom issues are technical, not political, Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) were unable to avoid politics in negotiations on a resolution calling on ITU to continue helping latter rebuild telecom infrastructure. Both view adoption of resolution as one of key actions taken at Plenipotentiary (Plenipot) Conference here. Not surprisingly, however, each side has different take on decision’s significance. While resolution ultimately won overwhelming support from ITU member states, final version was arrived at only after intense negotiations led by Plenipot Pres. Nasr Hajji, secy. of state to Prime Minister in charge of posts & telecom & information technologies, U.S. and other countries. Fact resolution was adopted without need for vote was important, source said, because issue had come close to derailing other ITU meetings.
Fate of some Webcasters hung in balance over weekend as 4 years of unpaid royalties were due Sun., Oct. 20. Senate left town Thurs. without addressing legislation that would have reduced royalty payments owed by small Webcasters, and on Fri. Library of Congress (LOC) Copyright Office denied appeal of royalty rates. HR-5469 passed House Oct. 7, presumably in time to give Senate time to adopt bill before Oct. 20, but industry sources said at least one broadcaster appealed to Sen. Helms (R-N.C.), who placed hold on bill.
Report on testing that FCC has undertaken in wake of ultra-wideband (UWB) order adopted in Feb. is expected to be released shortly, Office of Engineering & Technology (OET) Chief Edmond Thomas told us in interview. Thomas said testing was examining areas such as ambient noise levels in different environments rather than actual UWB-based communications devices, which weren’t available in commercial quantities for such analysis. Lack of significant body of data about noise floor levels has been concern in UWB proceeding when opponents and advocates of technology disagreed on interference potential of UWB. “There’s a profound lack of data” on noise floor levels, Thomas said. “It’s profoundly difficult data collection, but it should be done as far as I'm concerned.”
Wide-ranging inquiry FCC released Wed. on wireless Enhanced 911, led by former Office of Engineering & Technology Chief Dale Hatfield, points to “seriously antiquated” wireline infrastructure for emergency calls. “It is an analog technology in an overwhelmingly digital world,” Hatfield concluded. “Yet it is a critical building block in the implementation of wireless E911.” Those limits will be felt as wireless E911 calls increase and will constrain E911’s reach to nontraditional systems such as PDAs, telematics and voice-over-IP networks, report warned.
FCC order mandating that DTV tuners be installed in all TV receivers by July 2007 (CD Aug 9 p1) exceeds Commission’s “jurisdiction and statutory authority,” is in violation of Communications Act of 1934 and is “arbitrary, capricious” and “an abuse of discretion.” So argued CEA in petition filed Oct. 11 with U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., asking that FCC order be set aside.
Mont. PSC, doing about-face, advised FCC to reject Qwest’s current Sec. 271 interLATA long distance entry bid on ground carrier hadn’t complied with 2 public interest conditions PSC attached to its Aug. 1 endorsement. of Qwest entry. Mont. filed its negative recommendation late Tues., due date for comments from states and 3rd parties on Qwest’s pending 9-state Sec. 271 interLATA long distance application. With exception of Mont., Qwest states’ latest comments to FCC reiterated support they gave this summer. Petition seeks entry in Colo., Ia., Ida., Mont., Neb., N.D., Utah, Wash., Wyo.
MARRAKESH, Morocco -- It being almost past crunch time -- as one delegate put it -- for completing work at this year’s ITU Plenipotentiary (Plenipot) Conference here, Mon. afternoon’s plenary session was scuttled to allow 2 main substantive committees to grapple with large number of unresolved resolutions. Warning that everything must be done by Thurs. afternoon, leaving only 24 more working hours, plenary chmn. pleaded with delegates to keep their remarks brief. In 2 hours, delegates approved several resolutions on first reading and gave final (2nd reading) nod to several others. However, one committee meeting lasted late into evening as member states debated issues related to ITU structural changes, while other thorny matters, such as ITU’s financial footing, remained unresolved (see separate story).
Eldorado Communications, which competed with NextWave in original C-block auction, told FCC Fri. that in examining relief for NextWave re-auction winners, Commission was treating large carriers differently from small businesses. Eldorado earlier this year had challenged FCC decision to return 85% of deposits to winners of Jan. 2001 PCS re- auction, saying refund amounted to unfair treatment of small businesses that were intended to benefit from PCS auction. Eldorado filed for bankruptcy protection after auction, returning C-block licenses it won in 1996 bidding and agreeing to forfeit money already paid. In case of original C-block licensees, when Commission granted payment relief when bidders ran into financial trouble, carriers had to either forfeit half of their down payments and return half of their licensees or pay full price and keep their licenses. “Ignoring the disparity in choices accorded Auction No. 5 winners, the Commission hints at compounding this disparity by asking whether the prohibition that applied to Auction No. 5 winners with respect to the re-auction of the licenses in question should apply to the Auction No. 35 winners,” Eldorado said. Eldorado said economic situation facing NextWave re-auction winners was “the result of their informed, self-interested and strategic business decisions.” It said there wasn’t “equitable reason” to free those bidders from their choices “now that their calculated risk has not been rewarded.” If FCC grants relief to NextWave re-auction winners, it should offer “at least” same treatment with original C-block winners, Eldorado said.
Sens. Breaux (D-La.) and Nickles (R-Okla.) wrote FCC Chmn. Powell to urge Commission to complete its triennial review of unbundled network elements (UNEs) by Jan. 2, 2003. Letter, dated Oct. 9, said review should eliminate any wholesale pricing issues that are “both economically unsustainable and not conducive to investment.” “We would hope you would use this process as an opportunity to establish true facilities-based competition that was originally envisioned by the [Telecom] Act,” letter said. Sponsors of Senate bill to encourage broadband deployment through deregulation of Bells asked Commission to develop broadband policy that “achieves regulatory parity for all providers of broadband services.” “There is simply no public policy justification for regulating the nondominant players in this emerging and competitive market, while the dominant players are completely unregulated,” letter said. Senators encouraged Powell to use the wireline broadband and ILEC broadband proceedings to establish policy that encourages “investment, innovation, services competition and consumer choice.” “We firmly believe that the proceedings that the Commission currently has before it could well serve as the catalyst that renews investment in our information economy,” letter said.