Primestar delays high-power service: move is intended to appease regulators.(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, April, 1998 by Colman, Price

Less than a week after announcing plans to launch a high-power DBS service in mid-April, Primestar Inc. has encountered another in a series of snags and is backing off--at least for now. Absent approval from the FCC and the Justice Department to obtain MCI's 28 transponder frequencies at 110 degrees west, Primestar planned to launch a streamlined 120-channel high-power service from the Tempo 2 satellite at 119 degrees on April 17.

But as soon as Primestar disclosed the timetable on April 1, the FCC hoisted a red flag. Although Primestar had outlined the 119-degree high-power plan as early as 1990, the FCC expressed concern that the company was going ahead without federal approval. Primestar is awaiting federal approvals Ph for transfer of the 11...

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