Advanced Television

FCC

SES admits FCC decision “could be bad”

SES documents submitted in the dispute between themselves and Intelsat over the division of C-band proceeds admit that the FCC decision to award some 50 per cent of the overall sum involved to Intelsat “could be bad for us”. The statement was made in an email from a senior SES executive to company colleagues. SES […]

February 8, 2022

No delay for Intelsat’s bankruptcy exit

The trial between SES and Intelsat over how the FCC’s C-band ‘incentive payments’ are being distributed opens on February 7th. The court has set aside up to two weeks for the hearings before Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy judge Keith Phillips. However, last week the judge delayed an element of the trial dispute revolving around a […]

February 7, 2022

US telcos claim $5.6bn to switch out Chinese gear

The FCC says it has received $5.6 billion (€4.9bn) worth of refund requests for its Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Programme, as operators move to replace Huawei and ZTE infrastructure. The FCC opened applications late October, and closed on January 28th, receiving 181 applications. A total of $1.9 billion was originally allocated to the […]

February 7, 2022

Intelsat hits back in 50/50 action with SES

Earlier this week, SES requested that Intelsat’s bankruptcy court forbid Intelsat calling James Murray to provide expert evidence as part of the SES vs Intelsat 50/50 claim over the FCC’s C-band incentive payments. Intelsat has now filed its own Motion, and it pulls no punches. Intelsat’s lawyers in a 2-page objection states bluntly: “If SES’s […]

January 28, 2022

SES cries foul over Intelsat late evidence

In the SES vs Intelsat court case, due to start on February 7th, Intelsat is looking to introduce evidence from James Murray, an acknowledged expert in telecommunications and competitive intelligence and currently working for PJT Partners. The problem is that Murray comes extremely late to the action. Intelsat’s bankruptcy Court ruled initially in June last […]

January 26, 2022

Who will spend the FCC cash?

Between now and the end of 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will pay out almost $10 billion (€8.8bn) in ‘accelerated clearance payments’. The FCC cash rewards the world’s four largest satellite operators for freeing up some of their C-band spectrum over the US. The question now is whether this windfall cash will be spent, […]

January 20, 2022

SES responds to Intelsat in FCC dispute

Last week saw Intelsat’s lawyers submit their arguments to the court in advance of the trial scheduled for February 7th. Intelsat gave a number of reasons why they believe the SES claim for 50 per cent of the FCC’s incentive payments for clearing C-Band spectrum should fail. Lawyers for SES, on January 14th, submitted their […]

January 17, 2022

Fitch: “Intelsat’s ratings positive”

Financial ratings agency, Fitch Ratings, has assigned its verdict on Intelsat’s capital restructuring. Intelsat is likely to emerge from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reconstruction shortly and is already in the process of arranging fresh financing and borrowing. Fitch says it has assigned a ‘B+’ rating on Intelsat’s Jackson Holdings SA sister company with a ratings […]

January 17, 2022By Chris Forrester

SES vs Intelsat: Down to the details

The long-running dispute between SES and Intelsat over the SES claim for a full 50 per cent share of the FCC’s C-band accelerate incentive payments is now getting to the focal point in their arguments. Intelsat’s lawyers submitted 134 pages of Exhibits that they depend on and potentially used to support their rebuttal of the […]

January 14, 2022

Musk changing mind on Starlink launches?

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is altering its plan to send another 30,000 satellites in its Starlink mega-constellation into space using its existing Falcon 9 rocket fleet. A SpaceX lawyer, William Wiltshire, in a letter to the FCC explains that progress on the constellation is moving forward better than expected and that SpaceX plans to start launching […]

January 12, 2022