The U.S. Department of Justice cleared the planned global venture between AT&T Corp. and British Telecommunications plc, said AT&T. In July 1998, AT&T and BT announced their intentions to form a global venture to serve the communications needs of multinational business customers and carriers. The European Commission granted its approval on March 30. Approval by the Federal Communications Commission is still required.
The Senate has passed a bill designed to promote competition in the international satellite communications services market by allowing for direct access to Intelsat while beginning the process of privatization. The United States cannot privatize Intelsat by itself since Intelsat is a global treaty-based organization, but it is hoped that if a bill is enacted, other countries will apply similar pressures that will lead to privatization. During the last Congress, a similar bill was passed by the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate.
The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau has granted the transfer of Comcast Cellular Holdings Co.’s licenses to SBC Communications Inc. Some of these licenses overlap with licenses held by Ameritech Corp., which also is seeking to merge with SBC, but Ameritech has filed an application to transfer the overlapping licenses to GTE Corp. The Federal Communications Commission did not receive any comments objecting to the SBC/Comcast transfer. The FCC is still developing a record on the Ameritech/GTE sale and is expected to rule later this year on the SBC/Ameritech merger.
The Senate unanimously extended rules requiring the Office of Management and Budget to provide Congress with an accounting statement of the total annual costs and benefits of federal regulatory programs. The cost of federal regulatory programs has been estimated at $700 billion per year.
U.S. Electrodynamics Inc. said the Federal Communications Commission has authorized it to operate the Brewster, Wash., satellite access node for ICO Global Communications Inc. USEI will provide in-orbit control of the ICO satellite constellation. The Brewster-based facility is one of six ground stations.
