Commission Readies DBS Auction - Acquires licenses for West Coast

[Lucky]

Commission Readies DBS Auction
EchoStar and Cablevision's Rainbow DBS unit have qualified for an auction of non full-CONUS DBS spectrum taking place at the Federal Communications Commission July 14.
The FCC, which formally announced the two auction participants Tuesday, will take bids for DBS spectrum at 175 degrees, 166 degrees and 157 degrees. Another company, USK Broadcasting, Inc., was deemed not qualified to participate in the auction, stated documents from the FCC.
The FCC also said EchoStar and Rainbow DBS have each made a $6.1 million upfront payment to participate in the auction.

http://www.skyreport.com/?HDPictures.com

 

[Sean Mota]

Anyone with knowledge about DBS spectrum at 175, 166, and 157 can tell us why either VOOM or Echostar would like these.

 

[wasch_24]

Wow, those are really far west. Maybe Voom could serve Hawaii and the left coast better that way.

 

[Lucky]

Anyone with knowledge about DBS spectrum at 175, 166, and 157 can tell us why either VOOM or Echostar would like these.

I don't know, but having paid $ 6.1 million just to participate, they must see something in these locations.

 

[bryan27]

Anyone with knowledge about DBS spectrum at 175, 166, and 157 can tell us why either VOOM or Echostar would like these.

For VOOM they could serve Alaska and Hawaii.

For both VOOM and Dish Net they can serve the US Territories (Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa). CNMI actually issues huge grants to companies providing services "mainlanders" enjoy. I wouldn't doubt the FCC would grant a waiver to AK/HI coverage from those slots if the slot was used for the Territories. BTW VOOM could be a DBS monopoly in the territories. There is a potential for 250,000 new subs.

VOOM and Dish Net could also rent some space to new DBS companies in New Zealand and Australia. VOOM could also offer their 21 Exclusives as a package to those countries.

The possibilities for those slots are endless.

 

[Impatient]

Well according to http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennasatelazposcalc.html Los Angeles gains about 14 degrees of elevation going to the closest of the three and has the same elevation for the farthest as the current satellite. So, it would give the left coast people the option of pointing east or west.

 

[Sean Mota]

Source

Voom to bid in FCC bandwidth auction
Jul. 12 2004 -- 04:06:57 PM EST
by KEN SCHACHTER
JERICHO - Cablevision System's (NYSE: CVC) Voom direct-broadcast satellite service will be among the bidders seeking bandwidth at a Federal Communications Commission auction on Wednesday.

Along with Cablevision's Rainbow DBS unit, the corporate parent of Voom, EchoStar Satellite Corp., owner of Dish Network, has been approved to bid on three orbital slots.

Both companies made upfront payments of $6.1 million.

Winners will be required to build a satellite within four years of winning the bandwidth and putting the satellite into operation within six years.

Cablevision has announced plans to spin off Rainbow DBS later this year.

 

[rang1995]

Cablevision’s Voom eyes satellite slots

American A.W.S.
Techo-Bloc
Poseidon Pool and Spa
AJ Spa
Governors Comedy Cabaret
Stahl Eye Center




BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER

July 14, 2004

Despite a slow start for its Voom nationwide satellite TV service, Cablevision Systems Corp. is one of two bidders that will compete today in a new government auction of satellite slots.

Those slots might be used to expand Voom's limited transmission capacity, to create a backup for the single satellite it launched last year off the East Coast of the United States and to improve its ability to reach the West Coast.

Cablevision's participation in the auction indicates it is pushing ahead with the costly venture - which it plans to spin off as a separate publicly traded company later this year.

The other bidder is EchoStar Communications, which operates DISH Networks, the nation's second-biggest satellite-TV service with more than 10 million customers. EchoStar has been seeking greater capacity to provide local broadcast stations and more high-definition TV channels, and possibly for Internet service.

A third company, USK Broadcasting, was deemed not qualified to bid by the Federal Communications Commission, which is conducting the auction of licenses for 93 unassigned sub-slots at three locations.

Voom, which launched its service in October, stressing a wide array of HDTV channels, experienced early problems, but activated 8,000 subscriber homes as of April 23 and 3,400 more were awaiting installation, according to a government filing in May.Two of the three licenses in the auction require minimum bids of $3.2 million, and the third requires $5.8 million.

Cablevision has deposited $6.1 million up front but could be hindered in the bidding by financing constraints for the venture, which has a $482 million budget this year and is seeking to refinance its credit lines, Jessica Reif Cohen, a cable industry analyst for Merrill Lynch, said in a research report.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

 

[rtt2]

Cablevision wins two satellite slots
By Harry Berkowitz
July 14, 2004, 8:03 PM EDT

Cablevision Systems Corp. Wednesday won the bidding for two orbital slots that could help fill a gap in its Voom nationwide satellite TV service.

The two orbital positions would allow satellites to reach mainly the West Coast.

Since Voom launched service in October, its single satellite, whose orbital position is off the East Coast, has been weakest in transmitting TV channels to the West Coast, especially the Seattle and Portland areas.

Cablevision won the two licenses for $3.2 million apiece -- the minimum required bid in the auction by the Federal Communications Commission.

Jessica Reif Cohen, a Merrill Lynch analyst, called the price a "remarkable bargain" based on past auctions.

EchoStar Communications, the nation's second-biggest satellite TV provider, won the third slot being auctioned, which reaches the western half of the nation, with a minimum required bid of $5.8 million.

Cablevision plans to spin off Jericho-based Voom as a separate publicly-traded company later this year with a budget of $482 million for 2004 even though analysts are skeptical of its prospects for success.

Meanwhile, the trade publication Adweek reported online that Voom has hired the Mullen advertising agency, whose clients include General Motors and match.com, to replace Lowe, which resigned in April after Voom said it was reviewing its choice of agencies.

As of April 23, Voom had only 8,000 subscriber homes, plus another 3,400 in which it was preparing to activate the service. EchoStar and DirecTV have a combined total of more than 22 million subscribers.

 

[emtownsend]

Winners will be required to build a satellite within four years of winning the bandwidth and putting the satellite into operation within six years.

Gawd! I hope we get something going sooner than that! In Post Falls, Idaho, I cannot get Voom due to the currently low satellite. But, the installer was able to get a good lock on the "new" location. I am good to go when the other satellite goes online... Baring any other changes that is.

 

[wbuffetta]

As Soon As Their Up I Will Get My Own Intaller & Turn My Dish Around.
Yesterday In Sunny Weather I Was Getting A Sig. of 93. Fri In Light Rain 59.
I'm In Port. OR