TELEPHONY
First Baby Bell to Gain Approval for Long Distance (NYT)
Nextel Communications to Launch $8.3 Billion Hostile Bid
for NextWave (WSJ)
Telecom Trips In Big Rush To Dig (SJM)
ED TECH
Contest Winners See the Internet's Good Side (CyberTimes)
SATELLITE
Comsat May Have to Pay Fees To FCC on Running Satellites (WSJ)
ANTITRUST
In Race to Sue Microsoft, Some Trip (WP)
TELEPHONY
FIRST BABY BELL TO GAIN APPROVAL FOR LONG DISTANCE
Issue: Long Distance
Sources close to the decision indicate that Bell Atlantic, the #2 local
telephone provider in the US, with win approval from the Federal
Communications Commission to offer long distance services to customers in
part of its home region (New York state). Approval would mark first time in
15 years since break up of AT&T that million of consumers would be able to
get both local and long distance services from one of the "Baby Bells." "The
dropping of the barrier keeping the local telephone companies from the
long-distance market is in fact the beginning of the end of regulation,"
Reed E. Hundt, who resigned as chairman of the FCC in 1997, said. "It's
important, the way that crossing the highest peak in any mountain range is
important. You're going down now, but you still have a long way to go." The
FCC is expected to approve Baby Bell entry into long distance in many states
over the next few years -- creating more competition for AT&T, MCI WorldCom
and Sprint.
[SOURCE: New York Times (A1), AUTHOR: Seth Schiesel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/122299bellatlantic-fcc.html)
FCC Chairman William E. Kennard will hold a press briefing Wednesday,
December 22 at 11 AM to announce the Commission's decision on the Bell
Atlantic section 271 application. FCC Headquarters, 445 12th St., SW,
Washington, DC, Commission Meeting Room, 12th Street Level
NEXTEL COMMUNICATIONS TO LAUNCH $8.3 BILLION HOSTILE BID FOR NEXTWAVE
Issue: Merger
Nextel Communications plans to launch an $8.3 billion hostile tender offer
for NextWave Telecom, a wireless-communications company operating under
bankruptcy court protection. Nextel's proposed offer for NextWave includes a
$5.3 billion cash payment to the Federal Communications Commission since
NextWave had bid on and won wireless licenses from the FCC, but it has been
unable to pay for them. NextWave equity owners would receive $2.5 billion in
Nextel common stock, and the NextWave creditors would be paid $500 million
in cash. NextWave executives said Nextel's proposal was too little too late
and that "NextWave is poised to emerge out of bankruptcy with full funding,
strategic business partners and a network build-out plan." Last Thursday,
NextWave said it had raised $1.6 billion from several investors, Global
Crossing and AT&T affiliate Liberty Media.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Nicole Harris]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB945834802163899242.htm)
TELECOM TRIPS IN BIG RUSH TO DIG
Issue: Infrastructure
In California, State officials are tightening the review procedure for
fiber-optic cable digs after finding some that some companies have ignored
rules meant to protect the environment and culturally significant sites.
"It's like the land grab in the western United States," said Bill O'Dwyer,
director of construction in the western states for Level 3. In the wake of
the recent violations, the PUC last week adopted a new review process for
telecom operators. Instead of the blanket approvals of the past, the PUC
will scrutinize each application and require environmental studies, if
necessary. The PUC also has scheduled a roundtable discussion for telecom
industry officials, agencies, agriculture representatives, Indians and
others next month to clarify what is required.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Marilee Enge]
(http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/native122299.htm)
ED TECH
CONTEST WINNERS SEE THE INTERNET'S GOOD SIDE
Issue: EdTech
The results of interviews with recent winners of the annual ThinkQuest
student Web site competition -- which this year awarded about $1 million in
scholarship money and cash prizes to schools, teachers and students. The
contest was created four years ago by Allan Weis, a retired IBM executive
and president of Advanced Network & Services Inc., a nonprofit group that
promotes education and technology. Weis was convinced that the Web suffered
from a dearth of good educational material, and thought that Web-savvy young
people could begin to fill the gap. ThinkQuest requires teams of teenagers
to create sites that make the most of Web technology to examine complex
subjects like the life of Gandhi or organ transplants. The contest attracts
students from around the world.
[SOURCE: CyberTimes, AUTHOR: Pamela Mendels (mendels( at )nytimes.com)]
(http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/12/cyber/education/22education.html)
SATELLITE
COMSAT MAY HAVE TO PAY FEES TO FCC ON RUNNING SATELLITES
Issue: Satellites
Tuesday, an appeals court ruled that Comsat may be required to pay fees,
which the company had been exempt from paying, to the Federal Communications
Commission for the operation of its communications satellites. Panamsat,
Comsat's rival, had argued that the FCC unfairly forces it to pay regulatory
fees, but doesn't require Comsat to do the same, because of its competitor's
status as the U.S. signatory to Intelsat. A three-judge panel on the Court
of Appeals for the District of Columbia ordered the FCC to reconsider
Comsat's exemption from the fees. If the FCC decides to require the fees
from Comsat, the company's payment likely would total less than $1 million,
industry analysts said, based on the company's pro-rata share of the
satellites operated by Intelsat.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB945827279966535295.htm)
ANTITRUST
IN RACE TO SUE MICROSOFT, SOME TRIP
Issue: Antitrust
In the race to sue Microsoft -- private antitrust suits -- some lawyers are
making memorable legal bloopers. One firm, for example, identified the
company's core business as genetic drug maker [well, maybe that isn't so far
off -- how many people have gotten addicted to computer games included in
Windows?] Forty-two cases have already been filed and many more are
expected. Seeking the triple damages typically awarded plaintiffs in private
antitrust suits, many lawyers are finding Microsoft an irresistible, if
somewhat confusing, target. But few firms have much expertise in high
technology, in part because the industry has only recently attracted the
attention of antitrust enforcers. Most plaintiffs' firms have scored their
largest victories courtesy of more traditional product-liability matters.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E1), AUTHOR: David Segal]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/A21909-1999Dec21.html)
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...and we are out of here. Thanks for another great year of Headlines. We'll
be back in 2000.