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View Full Version : FCC Denies Former DBS Licensee's Challenge


Steve Mehs
02-24-03, 03:36 AM
The Federal Communications Commission denied a request from former DBS licensee Advanced Communications concerning the company's challenge of an earlier decision that stripped it of its DBS authorizations.

In its latest challenge, filed with the commission in November, Advanced asked the agency to reopen the proceeding based on affidavits from two former FCC commissioners that suggested the FCC acted unlawfully in taking away its licenses. The effort also involved a petition to intervene in the failed merger between EchoStar and DirecTV.

"The new evidence that Advanced submits is nothing more than another attempt to re-argue the issue that it has presented in numerous prior court proceedings," the FCC said in its decision made public Friday.

The Advanced proceeding involved a 1995 International Bureau decision that canceled the company's DBS authorizations at 110 degrees and 148 degrees, licenses now controlled by EchoStar. The bureau took away the licenses and put them up for auction after it determined Advanced failed to meet construction and launch deadlines.

The commission upheld the bureau decision that same year. In May 1996, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., affirmed the commission’s decision, and in 1997 the Supreme Court denied Advanced’s petition concerning the matter.

From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com/skyreport/feb2003/022403.shtm#one) (Used with Permission)

Cyclone
02-24-03, 09:07 AM
Ok, the merger is stopped because of lack of competetion.

the someone tries to join the competetion and the FCC trys hard to keep them out of the sky?

Man, us consumers are screwed. Just like how the Cable companies get "exclusive rights" to a geographic area. Now the sky is being reserved.

It smells like poop.

RichW
02-24-03, 10:03 AM
The company knew the rules for "due dilligence" yet failed to perform. These frequencies di not belong to them, or Echostar for that matter. The "lack of competition" in this case was due to a failure to perform according to the licensing asgreement. The FCC wisely transferred the licenses to Rupert Murdoch (in the case of 110) and Echostar (at 148). In my opinion, hte consumers won in this case because otherwise these assignments would probably be unused even today.