News Archive
Cease Fire: Satellite Radio Halts Production & Eutelsat Communications' Financial Report -- Posted by soullezz
on Sunday, July 23 2006
Cease Fire: Satellite Radio Halts Production
Sirius Satellite Radio said it instructed some of its manufacturers to stop producing radios that do not comply with Federal Communications Commission rules on emissions and frequency. In a regulatory filing Thursday, Sirius said it had found some of the company's radio units with FM transmitters still didn't observe the federal regulations.
Sirius said it has taken steps to correct the problem and believes the units currently in production comply with FCC standards.
The dog-star company's move follows a similar action by rival XM which is having compliance issues of its own with the federal regulation agency. Late Wednesday, XM announced the FCC had rejected its proposed solution for bringing the units into agreement the the agency's rules.
The units causing trouble are those designed for vehicles where the satellite radio signal is sent to a standard FM radio over a frequency not being used by a terrestrial radio station. The signal strength of these transmissions have been too strong, and users (read: broadcasters) have complained about signal bleeding.
Of course, morning commuters listening to non-stop commercials and David Lee Roth would raise hell if they got music and Howard for free.
Eutelsat Communications' Financial Report
Satellite operator Eutelsat Communications reported revenues for the fiscal year and fourth quarter Thursday showing greater-than-expected growth and a strong increase in company activities.
According to the company, full year revenues rose 5.4 percent to 791.1 million Euros ($999 million) and fourth quarter revenues up 6.7 percent to 201.1 Euros ($253.9 million).
The global satellite company said strong performances in European Union countries and in emerging markets helped validate its growth strategy. Now with more than 2,100 television channels broadcasting across the company's fleet, two-thirds of revenues were derived from video applications alone.
The company's D-STAR broadband service base of installed terminals grew over the year by nearly 30 percent with 14.5 percent increases in multi-usage additions.
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Most Everyone Happy With FCC's Adelphia Decision & Cable Deal Requires RSN Conditions & DISH Invests on CinemaNow -- Posted by soullezz
on Saturday, July 15 2006
Editorial: A note on the current events
Please have patience with the current status, this is a hobby, there are no guarantees. We do not have ETA's for new software releases, as soon as such software is released we will post it. Please stop emailing us asking us for new software or when it will be released, we simply can not answer that many emails, check the forums and archive for updates.
Most Everyone Happy With FCC's Adelphia Decision
After the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved the takeover of Adelphia assets by Comcast and Time Warner Cable, those closely watching the deal at the Portals said they are happy with the outcome.
Even some early critics of the transaction appeared to be OK with the FCC's approval of the deal, which included conditions governing competitor access to regional sports networks affiliated with the cable giants (more on the conditions is in today's second story).
DirecTV said conditions related to RSN access would help foster competition.
"The FCC's decision … allows video competition to flourish throughout the country and recognizes the need to protect consumers' right to root for their home team," DirecTV said in a statement. "With the sole exception of Philadelphia (home of Comcast's RSN), the FCC has proactively ensured that people in over 9,000 communities across the country can watch their home team games without being deprived of the right to choose their video provider. We applaud the FCC's action."
Consumer advocacy group Media Access Project also hailed the FCC decision and the conditions placed on the deal.
"The commission's conditional approval of the sale of Adelphia's cable systems represents a significant accomplishment for the media reform community," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president and CEO at the Media Access Project. "Viewed in light of the initial predictions that this transaction would receive prompt and complete approval, the FCC has actually looked long and hard at the issues and imposed significant conditions on the deal."
EchoStar's feelings were mixed about the Adelphia approval.
"While we are pleased that the FCC adopted a program access condition, we are disappointed that the condition only applies to sports programming," the satellite TV company said in a statement. "We are also concerned that allowing Comcast to continue to monopolize affiliated sports content in Philadelphia is the wrong answer for consumers in that market; the City of Brotherly Love deserves better."
Others aren't at all happy with the outcome at the agency.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps was the lone dissenter at the commission on the Adelphia deal. In remarks he fretted about the cable giants' concentration in specific markets and saying "consumers will see their cable bills climb higher."
Copps added, "This is not a consumer-friendly transaction."
Time Warner said things are in good shape to close the transaction by the previously announced target date of July 31.
"We look forward to providing our new customers with Time Warner Cable's advanced, digital products and services as well as high-quality customer care," Time Warner said.
Cable Deal Requires RSN Conditions
While the FCC approved the transfer of licenses from Adelphia to Comcast and Time Warner Cable, the agency also imposed conditions on the deal it said aim to address issues tied to competitor access to regional sports networks affiliated with the cable giants.
The commission said the conditions mirrored those imposed on News Corp. when it took a controlling stake in DirecTV in 2004.
Specifically, the FCC adopted a condition allowing unaffiliated RSNs unable to reach a carriage agreement with Time Warner or Comcast to seek arbitration. This would force Comcast into arbitration with Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which carries Washington Nationals games. Both sides have been unable to reach a carriage deal.
Also, the cable giants are prohibited from engaging in tactics that would make affiliated regional sports programming unavailable to rivals, such as satellite TV. Also, any regional sports network affiliated with Comcast or Time Warner Cable must go to arbitration if there's a dispute.
Left out of the regulatory mix is Comcast SportsNet in Philadelphia. The FCC ruled that Comcast may retain exclusivity with its hometown RSN.
DISH Invests on CinemaNow
EchoStar this week became an investor in a broadband-based provider of on-demand content.
CinemaNow, which delivers premium on-demand movies on the internet, secured $20.3 million in financing led by new investors, which includes the No. 2 satellite TV company and Index Holdings. Previous investors Transcosmos, Cisco Systems, Lionsgate and Menlo Ventures also participated in the financing.
The financing marks CinemaNow's largest single round to date. And the latest money move brings the total capital raised by CinemaNow since 1999 to more than $40 million.
CinemaNow is based in Marina Del Ray, Calif. The company offers downloads of more than 4,000 feature-length films, shorts, music concerts and television programs from more than 250 licensors including 20th Century Fox, ABC News, Disney, HDNet, Lionsgate, MGM, Miramax, NBC Universal, Sony, Sundance Channel and Warner Bros.
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Canada Readies Big Satellite Expansion Initiative & BSkyB Wins Mobile Rights to Premier League Games & DISH Opens Third Texas Call Center -- Posted by soullezz
on Thursday, July 13 2006
Canada Readies Big Satellite Expansion Initiative
Canada is preparing an initiative that may award up to 29 licenses to satellite companies, a move regulators in the country said would be the largest spectrum licensing effort undertaken north of the border.
Officials with Industry Canada said they hope satellite operators will use the extra capacity to fully implement high def television and carry other advanced telecommunications services essential for connecting all regions of Canada.
According to reports, Industry Canada has already received interest about its push from Bell ExpressVu and Telesat Canada, both part of BCE, Ciel Satellite Communications and Eutelsat.
Industry Canada said it expects new satellites that are part of the initiative to provide service as early as 2009 or 2010. It added that the satellite industry is expected to invest several hundred million dollars in building, launching and insuring satellites for each license issued.
"We need to increase satellite capacity over the next few years, and this announcement is about securing and allocating satellite orbital resources," said Maxime Bernier, Canadian Minister of Industry. "This initiative will lead to new investments in Canada, and to new and more accessible telecommunications services for Canadians of all regions."
BSkyB Wins Mobile Rights to Premier League Games
British Sky Broadcasting was awarded the mobile audio-visual rights to Barclays Premiership football in a three-year deal that begins August 2007.
The bid was made in partnership with News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun and News of the World. All of the companies will jointly market and promote the service. News Corp. controls BSkyB and the publishers. ? The mobile move also comes after BSkyB recently secured future rights to air Premier League soccer games.
With the mobile offering, the company will be able to offer mobile phone users action from all 380 Premiership matches played in each of the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010 seasons. As well as highlights of every game, the service will include video clips of goals and key moments while certain games are in progress, BSkyB said.
DISH Opens Third Texas Call Center
EchoStar said it will open its 11th customer service center in Alvin, Texas, a facility that will hire close to 600 full-time and part-time customer service representatives and support personnel, including positions for human resources, information technologies, training, quality assurance and facilities.
Alvin is outside of Houston. The new facility is EchoStar's third customer service center in Texas, joining Harlingen and El Paso.
Several groups were instrumental in helping bring the EchoStar center to Alvin, local leaders said. Those groups include the Alvin Chamber of Commerce, Alvin Community College, Alvin ISD, Brazoria County Commissioners Court and Economic Development Alliance, Conservation and Reclamation District No. 3, the WorkSource, and others in the Alvin business community.
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FCC Ready to Vote on Adelphia Transaction & HDNet's Cuban Approaches Portals on Adelphia & Satellite Radio Reports 2Q Gains -- Posted by soullezz
on Friday, July 7 2006
FCC Ready to Vote on Adelphia Transaction
The Federal Communications Commission will take up the Adelphia transaction involving Comcast and Time Warner Cable at its July 13 open meeting.
It's expected the FCC will approve the deal, given that commissioners wouldn't put the item on the agenda if there weren't enough votes to OK the transaction. What will be closely watched is what conditions the commission could place on the deal.
One condition being talked about is Comcast and Time Warner Cable granting non-discriminatory access to regional sports programming and requiring arbitration for program carriage disputes. DirecTV and others have been pushing the condition during lobbying visits at the Portals.
The companies involved are working under a July 31 deadline to complete the deal, a date established by Comcast and Time Warner Cable for acquiring the Adelphia assets.
HDNet's Cuban Approaches Portals on Adelphia
As the deadline gets tight for the acquisition of Adelphia assets by Comcast and Time Warner Cable, more independent programmers are approaching the Portals with concerns about the billion-dollar deal.
The latest includes Mark Cuban of HDNet.
Cuban wrote Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin this week outlining his issues with the transaction. The chairman and president of HDNet said his company is supportive of the transaction but is fretting about whether Comcast could drop the high-def programmer's channels.
HDNet has not secured a carriage deal with the nation's biggest cable operator, and Cuban said there is "considerable risk that Comcast will drop our channels from the systems they acquire from Adelphia and Time Warner Cable."
He added, "The market-dominant power of Comcast suggest that independent programmers such as HDNet should be given some consideration."
If Comcast were to cut off access to HDNet's two channels with its newly-acquired systems the move could impact service to between 1.6 million and 1.8 million customers, Cuban said.
Satellite Radio Reports 2Q Gains
On Thursday, the nation's two satellite radio services reported customer gains for the three-month period that ended June 30.
Sirius said it added 600,460 net subscribers during the second quarter, about 64 percent above last year's second quarter net subscriber additions of 366,000. The company ended the period with 4.678 million subscribers, which compares to 1.814 million customers for the end of second quarter 2005.
The Sirius count beat numbers posted by XM for the three-month period. The top satellite radio platform added more the 398,000 customers during the quarter, taking its total to 6.89 million.
XM CEO Hugh Panero said second quarter subscriber growth was limited by product availability and overall softness in the retail channel. "As we approach seven million subscribers, however, XM Satellite Radio remains one of the fastest growing consumer entertainment products," he added.
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Portals Busy with Adelphia Lobbying Work & Loral Names New Leaders for Space Systems -- Posted by soullezz
on Saturday, July 1 2006
Portals Busy with Adelphia Lobbying Work
Given there's about a month left to work through before a deadline that could nix Adelphia's takeover by Comcast and Time Warner Cable, the companies involved - and some of the opposition - are keeping up the fight at the Portals.
The Federal Communications Commission is the last big hurdle for the billion-dollar cable transaction. This week, representatives from the three cable companies met with FCC staff about the deal, telling officials the takeover would end Adelphia's bankruptcy and allow for the deployment of advanced services such as VoIP and video-on-demand. Those offerings are not currently available to customers of the troubled MSO.
The meetings took place with staff representing FCC Commissioners Michael Copps and Deborah Taylor Tate.
Meanwhile, DirecTV officials continued to make their case for conditions on the deal, specifically addressing competitor access to regional sports programming.
In the past, DirecTV has suggested Comcast and Time Warner Cable should be prohibited from entering or continuing to maintain an exclusive agreement with a regional sports network (RSN). Also, the satellite TV company proposed that any dispute concerning an RSN be submitted to commercial arbitration.
The DirecTV meetings took place with Tate and Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein.
The companies have until July 31 to complete the deal, a deadline established by Comcast and Time Warner Cable for acquiring the Adelphia assets.
Loral Names New Leaders for Space Systems
Loral Space and Communications promoted Patrick DeWitt CEO of its satellite manufacturing subsidiary, Space Systems/Loral. John Celli was promoted to president and chief operating officer of the unit.
DeWitt most recently served as president of SS/L during a time in which the Loral unit racked up significant customer gains. Since 2003, SS/L has booked 12 commercial satellite awards. He has held senior management positions with SS/L and its predecessor companies since 1973.
John Celli was previously executive vice president with the company.
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