FCC Comr. Martin said he expected agency to reach ‘reasonable com...
FCC Comr. Martin said he expected agency to reach “reasonable compromise in the next few weeks” on permanent rules on power levels allowing satellite radio “to be truly nationwide without inhibiting the deployment of services in adjacent bands.” He…
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told Satellite Entertainment conference in Monterey, Cal., late last week: “The Commission needs to remember not to be standing in the way of this new service.” Martin also said FCC would act before Congress’s Oct. 5 sunset date on rule barring exclusive deals between cable operators and cable-owned satellite programming. He cautioned that U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., had interpreted statutory requirement of necessity finding as high bar. “Thus, if the Commission determines that the exclusivity rule should be retained, we will need to articulate a complete and coherent analysis based on evidence demonstrating that the rule is, indeed, necessary for today’s market.” On must- carry, FCC is deliberating how rule applies in digital world, but application to nonbroadcast channels isn’t contemplated, he said. Martin spent much of his talk renewing his attack on last week’s (CD April 24 p1) Commission decision on Northpoint’s MVDDS satellite-terrestrial broadband technology. He criticized ruling as permitting far too much interference with DBS service and putting mitigation burden on DBS carriers and their customers.