Steve Mehs
05-06-03, 05:13 AM
In its application detailing its proposed takeover of DirecTV and Hughes sent to the Federal Communications Commission, News Corp. didn't leave out its intentions about two other Hughes units - PanAmSat and Hughes Network Systems.
The media giant told the FCC late last week that there will no competitive harm if it controls the two non-DBS businesses.
If News Corp. takes over the 81 percent stake in PanAmSat controlled by Hughes, the new ownership structure won't "increase FSS (fixed satellite service) concentration, nor will it raise any prospect of competitive harm in the MVPD (Multichannel Video Program Distribution) market," News Corp. told the FCC. For similar reasons, potential control of HNS raises no issues of competitive harm, the company said.
News Corp. said while it doesn't compete in the same manufacturing or satellite service sectors as HNS, "the complementary nature of the News Corp.'s satellite and technological expertise, as well as the energy and capital access that News Corp. will bring to bear on the Hughes businesses, will yield only more and enhanced public benefits for the businesses and consumers that HNS serves," the company said in its application.
News Corp. also said it's eyeing how it could use HNS' SpaceWAY project, a Ka-Band endeavor that's expected to launch service next year, to extend local TV service for DirecTV into more DMAs.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)
The media giant told the FCC late last week that there will no competitive harm if it controls the two non-DBS businesses.
If News Corp. takes over the 81 percent stake in PanAmSat controlled by Hughes, the new ownership structure won't "increase FSS (fixed satellite service) concentration, nor will it raise any prospect of competitive harm in the MVPD (Multichannel Video Program Distribution) market," News Corp. told the FCC. For similar reasons, potential control of HNS raises no issues of competitive harm, the company said.
News Corp. said while it doesn't compete in the same manufacturing or satellite service sectors as HNS, "the complementary nature of the News Corp.'s satellite and technological expertise, as well as the energy and capital access that News Corp. will bring to bear on the Hughes businesses, will yield only more and enhanced public benefits for the businesses and consumers that HNS serves," the company said in its application.
News Corp. also said it's eyeing how it could use HNS' SpaceWAY project, a Ka-Band endeavor that's expected to launch service next year, to extend local TV service for DirecTV into more DMAs.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com) (Used with Permission)