The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release and fact sheets detailing the Fourth Report to the Leaders on the U.S.-Japan Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its semi-annual regulatory agenda, which contains certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) regulatory rulemakings (rulemakings).
Nam Tai Electronics said 3rd-quarter net income was flat at $18.8 million vs. $18.9 million a year earlier as it took a $960,000 charge for closing its Hong Kong office and trimming an undisclosed number of jobs. The Hong Kong operations, which included accounting and inventor relations, will be consolidated with Nam Tai’s facilities in China. Nam Tai expects to generate $20 million in proceeds from the sale of the Hong Kong office, which has a $10-$12 million book value, company officials told analysts in an earnings conference call Mon. Revenue rose to $207.9 million from $138 million. Shares of Nam Tai stock fell 6.5% Mon. to close at $22.58 after company officials told analysts that gross margins would fall in the 4th quarter to 10.6% from 12.2% in the 3rd quarter as subsidiary Nam Tai Electronic & Electrical Products (NTTP) faced increased competition and began work on a new OEM contract. Nam Tai officials didn’t disclose the type product NTTP was building although they said it was related to home entertainment. In the past, NTTP has built the Eye-Toy camera and a karaoke device for Sony’s PlayStation 2, a spokesman said. Unclear is whether the new agreement was related to Sony’s PlayStation 3. Initial production of the new product will run 3 to 5 months, but the agreement could cover up to a year, a spokesman said. Nam Tai also will move forward with plans to take subsidiaries JIC and NTTP private, by increasing its stake in both companies to 90%. Nam Tai will spend about $76.5 million on privatization plan including $59.6 million and $16.9 million on buying shares of NTTP and JIC, respectively. During the quarter, Semitronics, Sharp, Sony and Wuxi Sharp accounted for more than 10% of Nam Tai’s revenues. Nam Tai also plans to spend $150 million in capital expenses during the next 5 years to build a new manufacturing facility in China. It recently signed an agreement to buy a 1.3-million-sq.-ft. piece of land near its current plant to build the new facility, a spokesman said.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a press release announcing, in collaboration with the Departments of Defense and State, the completion and final approval for eight plans supporting its September 2005 National Strategy for Maritime Security :
Hampered by tight industrywide margins and an oversupply of front projectors, InFocus swung to a $38.3 million net loss from a $1.7 million profit a year ago as revenue shrank to $130.3 million from $162.1 million, the company reported Tues.
Policymakers shouldn’t assume the digital transition will free spectrum for public responders in a timely fashion, nor that specialized spectrum is the best way to improve public safety communication, Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) said Mon. And “federal and state governments shouldn’t allow local purchasing agents to act on auto-pilot and miss the option to migrate to a flexible, next generation architecture,” MSV said. In a white paper written by U. of Colo. profs. Dale Hatfield and Phil Weiser, MSV said the federal govt. should “use its power of purse thoughtfully” in solving public safety communication problems. Similar to a June report by the same authors (CD June 24 p6), but with post-Katrina hindsight, the paper envisions flexible public safety networks integrating multiple technologies -- including satellite, terrestrial wireless and emerging wireless broadband systems. Public safety agencies’ exclusive reliance on Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems “failed” them during and after the storm, the report said. “A central lesson underscored by Katrina is that relying solely on LMRs does not provide the reliability and survivability sometimes suggested by its boosters,” it said: “LMR systems can be destroyed even when protected by some measures not used by their commercial brethren, underscoring the best assurance of survivability is the use of a flexible system that includes satellite technology.” But heavier user of commercial satellite/wireless systems doesn’t mean safety agencies should abandon existing LMR systems, the report said. The paper said a number of entities that once relied only on LMRs, including utilities like the Tenn. Valley Authority, are deciding to maintain LMR networks while integrating commercial wireless networks as well. Public safety agencies should have multi-mode devices for accessing “a hierarchy of wireless networks,” MSV suggested. The hierarchy would center around a public safety LMR system layered with a commercial terrestrial network incorporating an Ancillary Terrestrial Component and a satellite overlay -- like the one MSV is designing. Public safety agencies should take advantage of wireless broadband, the paper said. Besides wireless and satellite, future public safety networks might incorporate wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and eventually WiMAX, it said. The more flexible the approach the better for interoperability, it said. The paper highlighted successful ventures like Capital Wireless Integrated Network around Washington, D.C., which brought together 40 local, state and federal public safety agencies. But “as many other failed initiatives demonstrate,” ambitious visions of developing a single system to be used by all relevant agencies are difficult to achieve, the paper said: “More flexible approaches are far more likely to be successful.”
Cable operators face no competitive pressures to resell wireless services in the short term, despite rekindled speculation of a deal with Sprint Nextel, said investors who spoke with us. With wireless rates having slumped the past 5 years, there are few opportunities to make money through a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) agreement, said investors and analysts. Comcast, Cox and Time Warner have said they formed a consortium to consider selling wireless services (CD July 28 p11).
Public safety pool licensees operating in 764- 776/794-806 MHz band now may transmit call signs digitally, as similarly situated 800 MHz and 900 MHz licensees do, provided they meet certain conditions. The shift, which also applies to digital equipment makers, came via a waiver the FCC granted Motorola. The firm wanted relief from certain private land mobile radio service operating requirements. In granting the request, the Commission waived Secs. 90.425 and 90.647 of Commission rules. Those rules require public safety pool licensees to send their call signs at least every 30 min. “by voice in the English language or by international Morse code” on an analog signal. Requiring analog station identification is not in the public interest, because it can boost 700 MHz gear’s complexity and cost and disrupt digital operations, Motorola said. The FCC agreed, saying enforcement “does not serve the purpose of the rules and would be inequitable and unduly burdensome.” The relief applies to all digital gear makers and public safety licensees in the 700 MHz band that meet its conditions: (1) “The licensee must be licensed on an exclusive basis and normally employ digital signals for the transmission for the transmission of data, text, control codes or digitized voice.” (2) “The licensee must provide the Commission, upon its request, information sufficient to decode the digital transmission and ascertain the call sign transmitted.” The FCC said the move is subject to the outcome of a Commission decision-making in a separate public safety proceeding and will be terminated on the date the rules promulgated in that proceeding take effect.
A Justice Dept. review of the Intelsat-PanAmSat merger is progressing, as shown in a 2nd round of requests by Justice officials for information from the firms, Intelsat CEO David McGlade said Thurs. Speaking at a Washington Space Business Roundtable lunch, McGlade said, “They're interviewing customers as we speak.” The firms still hope to complete their merger in 6-12 months, he said. The FCC’s public review of the proposed transaction launched this week, with the first round of pleading cycle comments and petitions due Nov. 14, replies Dec. 6 (IB docket no. 05-290).
KVH reported 3rd-quarter revenue of $16.7 million, up from $13.8 million during the same quarter last year. KVH officials said weaknesses in the recreational vehicle market were offset by good results from military, maritime, and fiber optic product sales. Year-to-date sales of the firm’s mobile satellite products increased 4% since last year, and marine sales increased 30%, they said. But that growth was offset by a 21% sales decline in the land market.