Motorola Federal Govt. Markets Div. is expected to be awarded contract to provide land mobile radio services, equipment and encryption to Air Force Flight Test Center at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Although Air Force said it intended to award sole- source contract to Motorola, it would consider all proposals submitted by Sept. 4. -- 661-277-7799.
NOAA decision to suspend proposal to levy up-front $120,000 per- mile right-of-way (RoW) fee on submarine cable projects was greeted enthusiastically by industry, which lauded revisiting of controversial “final” rule. NOAA earlier this year released report that would have changed land valuation policy on telecom infrastructure crossing National Marine Sanctuaries, TELROW Coalition Exec. Dir. Eric Myers said: “We are very pleased that they've taken the opportunity to review its policy and invite public comment.” He said NOAA’s revised fair market value analysis, which it published Fri. in Federal Register, would give industry significant 2nd chance to weigh in on issue. Agency in Jan. provided 15-day window, which many stakeholders said left insufficient time to prepare statements. Reopening comment period is “strong sign that the new Administration is going to take time to look at this… The last Administration didn’t provide that opportunity.” However, Ocean Conservancy said it would caution NOAA against making it easy for industry to use protected waters as cheaper alternative to terrestrial fiber deployment. Conservancy spokeswoman said govt. should ensure parity in fees charged for land and water routes to avoid providing incentives to lay cable in “crown jewels” of U.S. waterways: “We think that the fees should be set to discourage cable laying in marine sanctuaries… Fair market value should be fair market value. These are national treasures that we should not be giving away.”
Revised land valuation proposal for fiber and other utility infrastructure projects in marine sanctuaries is nearing completion, NOAA source said. Agency’s National Ocean Service earlier this year (CD May 2 p4) sought comment on draft recommendation to sell 25-year cable permits in protected areas for up-front $125,000 per mile right-of-way fee. Source said transition to Bush Administration, in addition to industry complaints that first 15-day comment period was insufficient, were primary reasons that Dept. of Commerce reopened matter. He said Commerce was likely to set 45-day window for comments on revised plan, which differs from original, containing updated information on fair market value of marine sanctuary properties: “We want to make sure our economists have the latest data.” He said revised plan was in “final stages of clearance” and was being reviewed by gen. counsel’s office. NOAA probably will publish revision in Federal Register by Fri.
Entrance of U.S. companies will distort Mexican satellite market, Satmex CEO Lauro Gonzalez said Wed. after PanAmSat (CD Aug 15 p6) and GE Americom received licenses to land signals in Mexico for next 10 years. Satmex paid $516 million for its operating license in 1997, while GE Americom and PanAmSat agreed to pay $300,000 annually over duration of their deals.
Move to restructure ownership of Sky Latin America inches News Corp. closer to deal to land Hughes, analyst said. “They're just crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s,” CIBC World Markets analyst Jeff Wloderczak said. “It’s a foregone conclusion that Hughes will end up with News Corp. There is a lot of noise about EchoStar, but the regulatory hurdles are just too high.” Agreement would allow New Corp. to take controlling interest in Sky Latin America. News Corp. currently owns 30% of company, and deal could also pave way for eventual merger with DirecTV Latin America, Wall St. Journal said. “This is one step of a very deliberate process that News Corp. is going through,” Wloderczak said. “One of the big upsides from their perspective is going to one platform in Latin America.” He said he expected to hear something by Labor Day on deal that has been in works for more than 18 months: “I don’t see how EchoStar is even going to be able to delay this deal much. GM has looked at EchoStar for a long time. It’s their fiduciary responsibility to look at the [EchoStar offer], but I don’t think it changes anything.”
FCC Wireless Bureau granted informal request by International Assn. of Fire Chiefs and International Municipal Signal Assn. (IMSA) for certification as frequency coordinators in private land mobile radio (PLMR) service. Request covered 800 MHz band and 900 MHz public safety frequencies. Bureau also granted informal request by American Assn. of State Highway and Transportation Officials for certification to provide frequency coordination services for 800 MHz PLMR public safety frequencies. Both groups now are frequency coordinators for public safety pool frequencies below 512 MHz and in public safety 700 MHz band. Order released July 25 also offers opportunity to Forestry Conservation Communications Assn., which also is existing frequency coordinator, to perform same function for frequencies in PLMR 800 MHz public safety bands. Order denied request by International Assn. of Fire Chiefs and IMSA to coordinate 900 MHz PLMR frequencies.
Orbimage signed multiyear agreement with NASA’s Stennis Space Center to supply up to $6 million in imagery from world’s first commercial hyperspectral camera, company said. NASA will use hyperspectral imagery from 200 band camera carried on OrbView-4 satellite to develop environmental monitoring applications for managing Earth’s water and land resources.
FCC would have to continue to work with Senate Appropriations Committee on possible “resurrection” of broadcast industry code of conduct, measure tied to appropriations bill that panel referred to Senate floor Thurs. Budget bill was marked up by committee Thurs. and cleared for action by full Senate. Committee report said members were “concerned about the declining standards of broadcast television and the impact this decline is having on America’s children.” Committee made recommendation while reminding FCC of agency’s Dec. 1999 Notice of Inquiry “regarding the public interest obligations of broadcasters during and after the transition to [DTV].”
FCC Wireless Bureau extended deadline for PCIA and Industrial Telecommunications Assn. (ITA) to meet mandatory electronic filing deadline for Land Mobile Phase 1 applications. New deadline for universal licensing system requirement is July 25. Bureau also granted additional time for “unified dismissal” policy for all Phase One services, with new deadline of July 25. PCIA and ITA had told FCC they faced several obstacles to completing conversion to electronic filing, including problems with electronic batch filing. In letter this month to PCIA and ITA, bureau said they had met “good cause” standard to grant waiver. Bureau cited extent to which lack of waiver could bar groups from filing applications and potentially put at risk timely processing of Phase 1 Land Mobile Radio Service applications. PCIA and ITA also had asked that unified dismissal policy date be extended because problems with same electronic filing system led to returns of significant number of applications they had filed.
NOAA soon will re-issue notice on federal land valuation policies for fiber and other utility projects that cross national marine sanctuaries, industry source said. Notice is expected to include revised timetable for comment and implementation period, but otherwise will be nearly identical to one that NOAA published in Jan. Earlier notice included review of govt.’s land valuation practices and recommended that govt. significantly increase rates charged to utilities that deployed telecom and energy infrastructure across marine sanctuaries, source said: “It pretended to be an analysis, but it was only a report.” Source decried methodology of original notice, which omitted input of utility and real estate industry appraisal valuation professionals. Revised notice could appear in Federal Register as earlier as next week, he said.