United States of America

[US] New Direct Broadcast Satellite rules

IRIS 1996-2:1/23

Michael Botein

Media Center, New York Law School

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently adopted DBS rules. These require a new operator to complete construction of its first satellite within four years of acquiring a construction permit, and to finish the whole system within six years. At the same time, the FCC lengthened DBS licences to ten years, like those for radio stations. It also required DBS operators to serve Alaska, if technically feasible from their orbital positions. (Prof. Michael Botein, Communications Media Center at the New york Law School) Information on law related policy developments which may have legal consequences but of which no documents or other texts are available yet.