Advanced Television

Spectrum

Intelsat facing more legal allegations

Schall Law, which describes itself as a “national shareholder rights litigation firm”, says it is investigating claims on behalf of investors who hold stock in Intelsat. Los Angeles-based Schall is looking to mount a Class Action of shareholders who have lost money and, if successful, would mount an action based on alleged “violations of securities […]

March 11, 2020

CBA: ‘Catch 22’ dilemma

Intelsat has yet to confirm its intentions as far as the FCC’s Order is concerned over the FCC’s accelerated clearing plan. Indeed, Intelsat is silent on whether it wants to proceed at all, and only a week or so ago, the market was awash with reports that it was being urged to consider a Chapter […]

March 6, 2020By Chris Forrester

CBA: The 100% upside

“OK,” you might say if you were a satellite operator. “We’ve lost this battle, but we can still win the war.” The FCC and C-Band Alliance machinations have been the primary focus for the satellite industry for the best part of 3 years. The rationale for a major ‘win-win-win’ for the US-focused satellite sector is […]

March 5, 2020

FCC/CBA: Further detail emerges

Analyst Sami Kassab at investment bank Exane/BNPP has reported more details on the FCC’s March 3rd Order regarding the reallocation of C-band frequencies over the US. Kassab has ploughed through the 220 pages, plus endless footnotes, and says there are other benefits for the key satellite operators. As this is written, however, there remains uncertainty […]

March 5, 2020By Chris Forrester

FCC issues C-band order

The FCC issued its formal Order and Public Notices on March 3rd as to how the C-band auction will be managed and the implications for the affected satellite operators. The 406-item Order is crammed full with legal precedents, but little appears to have changed from the Draft Order issued in February. The proposed ‘incentive’ payments […]

March 4, 2020By Chris Forrester

SES outlines C-band plans

SES CEO Steve Collar, speaking exclusively to Advanced Television, says that while the company is waiting for the FCC’s final text of its Order in regard to C-band, he was confident that the core terms outlined by the FCC would stay in place, and that SES could totally meet its obligations. He said he was […]

March 3, 2020

FCC/CBA: Legal challenges emerge

While SES and Telesat were quick to endorse FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s confirmation on February 28th of the C-band proposals to auction and reassign 280 MHz of satellite spectrum over the US, others were less keen. The Small Satellite Operators (including Permira-owned ABS) objected most strongly to the FCC decision. ABS Global Chairman and CEO […]

March 2, 2020By Chris Forrester

FCC: C-Band order approved

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has, as largely expected, endorsed its own draft C-band proposals in its open agenda meeting of the full Commission. FCC departmental staff (notably the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau) explained their proposals, which didn’t deviate from their earlier published proposals. They explained how the planned Auction 107 would be adopted using some […]

February 28, 2020By Chris Forrester

Four bidders for French 5G spectrum

French telcos Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR have all submitted a tender package to comms regulator Arcep for the award of licences to use frequencies in the 3.4 – 3.8 GHz band in Metropolitan France All four candidates have stipulated their desire to obtain one of the four blocks of 50 MHz that […]

February 27, 2020By Colin Mann

CBA could be the FCC’s relocation coordinator

A joint filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week by SES and Telesat criticised Intelsat for giving the FCC “false characterisations of the C-Band Alliance, and [Intelsat’s] misleading attempts to distance itself from the CBA”. The letter added that the CBA itself hoped to be appointed by the FCC to coordinate the complete […]

February 27, 2020By Chris Forrester