U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a general notice announcing that the next groups, or clusters, of ports to be deployed for the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)/National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning the transmission of automated truck manifest data for truck carrier accounts will be in the state of New York.

An EchoStar challenge of a model the FCC uses to predict broadcast signal strength was batted down by the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. in a long-awaited opinion released Tues. The FCC formula upheld by the court is used to gauge eligibility of households for distant network TV signals by satellite due to poor local TV network reception over-the-air. EchoStar said the FCC model was inadequate, particularly for VHF stations. But the court sided with the Commission, backing the FCC’s reading of the 1999 Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (SHVIA) and holding EchoStar’s arguments “inconsistent” with the statute.

.Eu registry Eurid said it suspended 74,000 .eu domain names and filed a breach of contract complaint against 400 accredited registrars. The 74,000 names had been registered in the name of 3 companies, Ovidio Ltd., Fausto Ltd. and Gabino Ltd., that were acting only as a front for the registrars who wanted to sell the names afterwards, said Eurid. “The domain name holders and the registrars can be regarded as one and the same. Since registrars should only register domain names for existing customers and not ‘warehouse’ the names in order to resell them at a higher price, this is clearly in breach of the registrar contract,” said Herman Sobrie, legal mgr. of Eurid, in a press release. There’s been much debate since the start of the .eu-Registry in April about cybersquatters and also the “cloning” of registrar companies. By setting up several “clone” companies, registrars increased their chances to get most- wanted domains during the land rush for domains. Despite complaints by other registrars about several hundred registrar clones with N.Y. addresses, Eurid hadn’t acted against the practice. But as European registrars threatened to write letters to the EC asking it to take Eurid to task for massive registrations for companies like Ovidio, Eurid started to investigate the issue. Most of the 400 registrars that face breach of contract complaints before a Brussels Court are based in the U.S., said Eurid spokesman Patrik Linden. Eurid also cancelled some 1,000 .eu-address registrations of non-EU citizens and companies, as they're not eligible to register the names. The registry was “constantly monitoring the registrations of .eu domain names in order to make sure all holders of .eu domain names are based in the EU zone, as required by to the Public Policy Rules for .eu,” said. The registry also was verifying that all accredited registrars are acting in the best interest of the end user, wrote Eurid.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site the following documents related to its July 14, 2006 rule proposing a pre-departure Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) requirement (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/19/06 news, 06071910, for BP summary of CBP's proposed rule):

KVH Industries expects the TracNet 100 to produce its first revenue during the 3rd quarter, but it won’t be “material” to overall earnings, CFO Patrick Spratt told analysts in an earnings conference call on Thurs. The TracNet 100 was developed with an in-vehicle version of Microsoft’s MSN TV 2 Internet. The system has a built-in wireless output and connects to the Internet using high-speed EVDO cellular technology. Among the suppliers of the antenna at the heart of TracNet in Digital Antenna, CEO Martin Kits van Heyningen said. The TracNet’s price increased from the original $1,000 target as KVH determined it needed to bundle in additional amplifiers and external antennas, van Heyningen said. KVH expects “substantial orders” for TracNet by year- end and has a design win, said van Heyningen who declined to disclose additional details. “It’s an order that has a very high probability,” he said. “It’s just the timing we're not sure of.” Meanwhile, KVH reported 2nd-quarter net income improved to $1.6 million from $952,000 a year earlier as revenue jumped to $21.9 million from $18.8 million. The earnings benefitted from strong sales of KVH’s TracVision M3 that’s sold into the marine market with a 14.5” diameter receiver for the DirecTV service. The M3 has gained KVH new distribution including sales through the West Marine retail chain, company officials said. Revenue from the marine business rose 28% during the quarter and accounted for 50% of KVH’s total sales. KVH recently struck agreement with Sea Ray to include the M3 as option on new 29-44’ boats. Sea Ray will continue to offer the TracVision A4-HP on 45’ and up boats, company officials said. Land and mobile revenue, which includes sales of the TracVision A5 DirecTV system, increased 12% during the quarter. Defense-related revenue, which includes the Tacnav military radar systems, totaled $5.2 million during the quarter. KVH expects 2 additional substantial orders for Tacnav, larger than the less than $2 million orders typically included in the company’s backlog.

The 11th Appeals Court, Atlanta, and the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., are weighing cases centering on DBS delivery of distant network signals -- EchoStar’s in particular. At the 11th Circuit sits an EchoStar petition to rehear en banc a May order that EchoStar cut distant network signals nationwide for abuse of distant signal rules. And at the D.C. Appeals Court is an EchoStar challenge of the formula the FCC has long used to judge household eligibility for distant network signals -- the Individual Location Longley- Rice (ILLR) model.

Viacom’s TV Land will redesign its website next month to feature a broadband video player that will offer a rotating lineup of full-length TV shows and other short-form video, it said.

Viacom’s TV Land will redesign its website next month to feature a broadband video player that will offer a rotating lineup of full-length TV shows and other short-form video, it said.

Ford of Canada and Sirius Canada have an exclusive long- term deal to factory-install Sirius receivers in nearly all Ford vehicles sold in Canada by 2008. Ford of Canada will offer factory installed satellite radio receivers starting in 2007 vehicles, Sirius Canada officials said. Most Ford brands in Canada -- Ford Lincoln Mercury, Land Rover, Jaguar, Volvo and Aston Martin -- come under the pact, Sirius Canada said. No terms were disclosed.

Ford of Canada and Sirius Canada have an exclusive long- term deal to factory-install Sirius receivers in nearly all Ford vehicles sold in Canada by 2008. Ford of Canada will offer factory installed satellite radio receivers starting in 2007 vehicles, Sirius Canada officials said. Most Ford brands in Canada -- Ford Lincoln Mercury, Land Rover, Jaguar, Volvo and Aston Martin -- come under the pact, Sirius Canada said. No terms were disclosed.