Advanced Television

Policy

CBA gets tough with FCC

The C-Band Alliance (CBA) has filed a comprehensive 16-page statement with the FCC that pulls no punches in its argument for a fair commercial reward for reallocating 280 MHz of its satellite spectrum over the US, for use by 5G operators. Currently the FCC says it will itself manage an auction of the spectrum, and […]

January 17, 2020By Chris Forrester

France ups local content investment for streamers

The French Culture ministry wants streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon, to invest at least 25 per cent of revenues generated locally into the creation of French content. It is more than the 16 per cent previously planned. Minister Franck Riester has unveiled the first outlines for the upcoming production decree that will be […]

January 16, 2020From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Sky’s Darroch renews Internet regulation call

Writing in The Times, Jeremy Darroch, CEO of Sky, has renewed his call (first made in the same paper in July 2018) for the UK government to act to curb the “flow of hate, abuse and offensive, illegitimate and even dangerous content online”. Darroch wrote: “This week Lord McNally presented his own bill in the […]

January 16, 2020

Netflix accused of tax avoidance

Netflix is facing accusations of funnelling as much as £330 million (€385m) in profits made from operations outside the US into offshore tax havens, while receiving relief for making shows such as Black Mirror and The Crown in the UK. Figures from the Taxwatch thinktank estimate that in 2018 the streaming giant moved between $327 […]

January 15, 2020

CBA: “Incentivise us, and we will be speedy”

The C-Band Alliance (CBA, comprising Intelsat, SES and Telesat) filed a Fact Sheet on January 14th that – in essence – urges the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move more quickly in the “monumental task of transitioning C-band spectrum from satellite transmissions to 5G mobile”. The Fact Sheet pulls no punches in its message to […]

January 15, 2020By Chris Forrester

Openreach extends free full fibre offer

Thousands more new-build homes are in line for a broadband boost as UK digital infrastructure provider Openreach is extending the reach of its scheme offering Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) installation free of charge for new housing developments. Developers building smaller new sites of just 20 or more properties are now eligible to have full fibre connectivity built […]

January 14, 2020By Colin Mann

EC identifies IP problem territories

The European Commission has published the latest report on protection and enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in third countries. While developments have taken place since the publication of the previous report, concerns persist and a number of areas for improvement and action remain to be addressed. Intellectual property rights infringements worldwide cost European firms billions […]

January 10, 2020By Colin Mann

FCC delays C-band agenda

Many in the satellite industry had been anticipating the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issuing some guidance this week as to its thinking – and possible decision timetable – regarding the reallocation of C-band spectrum over the US on January 30th. The FCC’s Chairman Ajit Pai, in a blog post, said that he had spent the […]

January 10, 2020By Chris Forrester

LGA: MNOs ‘marking their own homework’

Millions of mobile phone users could not be receiving the outdoor coverage network operators say they are providing and their customers are paying for, the Local Government Association — the national membership body for local authorities in England and Wales – is warning. Mobile ‘coverage checker’ websites are often used by people to decide which […]

January 10, 2020

White House soft pedals AI regulation

At CES, White House officials announced how the Office of Science and Technology wants federal agencies to approach regulating new artificial intelligence-based tools and the industries that develop the tech. The White House’s proposed AI guidance discusses some of the biggest concerns, but are centred most on encouraging innovation in artificial intelligence and making sure […]

January 9, 2020