KVH Industries’ TracVision A5 mobile satellite system suffered from declining SUV sales, but Q1 revenue remained steady, CEO Martin Kits van Heyningen told analysts. The A5 attaches to a vehicle, rising about 5” above the roof to receive DirecTV programming. Pricing for the A5 is stable, in stark contrast to its introduction in 2004, when sluggish sales forced KVH to cut its retail to $2,295 from $3,495 (CED July 6/04 p5). “We're not seeing a lot of growth there because of the decline in sales of SUVs,” said van Heyningen. The A5 is packaged with DirecTV’s Total Choice programming, which carries a $4.99 monthly fee for existing subscribers, $41.99 for mobile-only. Overall, KVH’s land-based mobile sales declined 31% as it also suffered slow sales in the recreational vehicle (RV) market. KVH launched shipments of the TracVision R6 ($2,199) -- featuring a 14.5” diameter dish -- in March targeting the RV segment along with the TracVision R5 ($1,995). KVH’s marine sales increased 42% during the quarter as it benefitted from initial revenue from the TracVision M3, which also features a 14.5” diameter design. KVH’s defense-related sales rose 57% to $6 million, benefitting from sales of the TG-6000 fiber optic gyro-based motion sensor that’s used in torpedoes. KVH’s TacNav military navigation system accounted for about 67% of the company’s defense revenue, fiber products the rest, CFO Pat Spratt said. KVH also remains on target to ship its TracNet 100, which is being 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. KVH reported first-quarter net income improved to $1.2 million from $301,000 on the strength of strong marine and defense sales. Revenue rose to $20.2 million from $17.8 million.

Mich. became the first state to require high school students successfully complete an online course or learning experience, under a law signed Thurs. The action was part of an overhaul of Mich. graduation requirements beginning with next fall’s 8th graders. “Our online learning requirement makes Michigan a leader among all the states in using the power of the Internet to create learning opportunities in the classroom, the home and the workplace,” Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said: “In a world that demands life long learning, we are giving our students and our state a competitive advantage when it comes to landing the good- paying jobs of the 21st century economy.”

Congress erred in passing a child porn law banning promotion, or “pandering,” of content that doesn’t depict actual children or that depicts children nonsexually because it is constitutionally protected speech, the U.S. Appeals Court, Atlanta, ruled last week in U.S. v. Williams. The case involved a man convicted of possession and promotion of child pornography over the Internet. The appeals court panel overturned a U.S. Dist. Court, Miami, conviction of Michael Williams on the pandering charge but upheld his 5-year sentence for possessing “real” child porn.

GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons Mon. accused .eu registry EURid of fleecing Europeans by letting straw registrars take part in last week’s domain-name “land rush.” “What happens when you match an inept registry with crafty businessmen?” Parsons wrote in a blog. “The answer is a really large scam.” EURid denied GoDaddy’s charge, saying it followed all the rules for the general registration, in which over a million .eu names were activated the first day (WID April 10 p3).

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. -- Since setting up its first customer in Strasburg, Colo., nearly a year ago, NRTC-backed satellite broadband provider WildBlue has been bridging the digital divide in rural communities across the U.S. without govt. aid. The firm’s main market lies beyond the reach of terrestrial broadband -- particularly in farming and ranching communities targeted by WildBlue advertising the past year in agriculture magazines and local radio spots.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. -- Since setting up its first customer in Strasburg, Colo. nearly a year ago, NRTC-backed satellite broadband provider WildBlue has been bridging the digital divide in rural communities across the U.S. without govt. aid. The firm’s main market lies beyond the reach of terrestrial broadband -- particularly in farming and ranching communities targeted by WildBlue advertising the past year in agriculture magazines and local radio spots.

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.: Since setting up its first customer in Strasburg, Colo. nearly a year ago, National Rural Telecom Cooperative (NRTC)-backed satellite broadband provider WildBlue has been bridging the digital divide in rural communities across the U.S. without govt. aid. The firm’s main market lies beyond the reach of terrestrial broadband -- particularly in farming and ranching communities targeted by WildBlue advertising the past year in agriculture magazines and local radio spots.

AT&T sued 2 Chicago suburbs late last week, and planned to file a 3rd suit today (Mon.), in disputes over its Project Lightspeed network. The towns have refused AT&T’s buildout requests over its lack of video franchises -- the requirement that landed AT&T at the center of a raucous House debate earlier in the week. AT&T, maintaining it isn’t a cable firm, said in the suits the towns are violating its rights as a telecom carrier.

Congress has a “responsibility to the nation” to examine big monopolies’ impact on consumers, Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chmn. Inouye (D-Hawaii) said Thurs. at a Quello symposium lunch. Inouye voiced worry at recent Bell mergers, and suggested others could be coming: “I remember when we created 7 Baby Bells. I don’t know how many we'll have a year from now.”

Webcast signals could be protected on an opt-in basis under a draft treaty posted ahead of the May meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) standing committee on copyright & related rights (SCCR). The panel is trying to update a convention that protects broadcasters’ copyright in their transmission signals to account for new technologies such as cablecasting. U.S. webcasters -- with support from the EU and Japan -- want to include webcasting signals, which has sparked strong opposition from many other quarters. Publication of the draft text prompted one civil libertarian to ask how webcasting and other controversial provisions seem to have made the final cut, while more popular elements may have fallen by the wayside.