Issue no. 387 - 12 May 2008

• EU - Belgium receives final warning on broadcasting "must-carry" rules (RAPID)
  The European Commission has decided to send a reasoned opinion (the second and final stage before the case is referred to the European Court of Justice) to Belgium on "must-carry" rules imposed on broadcasters in the bilingual region of Brussels-Capital. "Must-carry rules" require network operators such as cable companies or telecom operators to carry specified radio and TV broadcast channels and services where a significant number of consumers use them as their principal means to receive radio or TV broadcasts.

Issue no. 374 - 1 April 2007

• EU - Galileo sat-nav in decisive phase (BBC)
  Europe's proposed satellite-navigation system, Galileo, faces big delays and cost overruns unless major obstacles to its development are removed - and fast. A large order for spacecraft must be placed in the coming months if the project is to keep to a 2011-12 target for full operational deployment. But negotiations to set up the private framework that will implement and run the system have now been suspended.

Issue no. 358 - 21 April 2006

• UK - Satnav systems guide cars to a watery end (Guardian)
  Dozens of motorists have become marooned in the river Avon in Wiltshire after being directed into the water by their satellite navigation systems. When a main road in the town of Sherston was closed for roadwork, the diversion recommended by some satnav systems takes motorists to the ford, known as The Splash, at Brook End.

Issue no. 351 - 11 December 2005

• EU - Galileo project saved as Berlin scoops industry orders (EUobserver.com)
  The EU's prestigious satellite project, Galileo, has been saved from a crash after EU transport ministers agreed to grant Germany, the biggest funder of the scheme, more orders for its industry. The breakthrough follows a months-long deadlock between Germany and other main participants France and Italy over the funding of the satellite system, which is seen as a strategic competitor to the American Global Positioning System (GPS) system.

Issue no. 333 - 2 March 2005

• EU - Dead heat for Galileo companies (BBC)
  The two consortia that want to run Europe's new satellite navigation system could not be separated in the latest round of the bidding process. It was expected a winner would emerge to capture the multi-billion euro contract to operate Galileo. But the two groups, iNavSat and Eurely, will now have further negotiations with the Galileo Joint Undertaking, the body set up to award the concession.

Issue no. 317 - 22 August 2004

• EU - ESA and the European Commission consultation forum on satellite-based Global Monitoring (ESA)
  Satellites can help the EU monitor climate change, address international crises and contain natural disasters. EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin and Mr Antonio Rodotà, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), officially opened a large stakeholder consultation forum aiming at the definition of European needs to enhance global monitoring for environment and security (GMES).

Issue no. 284 - 21 September 2003

• China joins EU's satellite network (BBC)
  China has struck a deal to invest in Galileo, the European Union's space satellite navigation network. China is already one of the biggest players in the global satellite launch industry and is making final preparations for its first manned space flight which could take place as soon as next month. 'China will help Galileo to become the major world infrastructure for the growing market for location services,' said EU transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio. China will invest 230m euros ($259m; £160m) in the Galileo satellite tracking system, roughly a fifth of the expected cost of building the 1.1bn euros network of 30 satellites.

Issue no. 276 - 23 June 2003

• UK - BBC and BSkyB end satellite row (Guardian)
  After months of brinkmanship the BBC and BSkyB have finally settled their protracted row over an £85m deal that guarantees distribution of the corporation's channels to 6.7 million Sky homes. They have agreed a new deal, believed to represent savings of tens of millions of pounds, which will ensure BBC1 and BBC2 remain the first channels Sky viewers see on the electronic TV listings that appear on screen automatically when they switch on their sets. It will mean that, for the first time, viewers in Scotland will be able to watch BBC London and that anyone with a satellite dish and a receiver can watch the BBC's digital channels without a viewing card.

Issue no. 255 - 6 January 2003

• UK - OFT lets Sky off the hook (Guardian)
  In an extraordinary about-turn, the office of fair trading has found BSkyB not guilty of breaching competition law after a protracted investigation that that has dragged on for almost three years. see Press Release.

Issue no. 251 - 24 November 2002

• UK - Tories attack satellite plan (BBC)
  The Conservatives have criticised reforms of media regulation which would allow the government to force BSkyB to carry BBC channels on its digital service. UK - Masterplan for the media

Issue no. 240 - 14 July 2002

• Europe's New Air War (Wired)
  Why are US allies building their own global positioning system? Call it a declaration of independence.

Issue no. 232 - 28 April 2002

• UK - Lift-off for low-cost satellite broadband (BBC)
  BT is offering a low-cost satellite service for those in the UK who are cut off from the broadband revolution - but questions remain about how widespread the take-up for this new service will be.

Issue no. 230 - 7 April 2002

• EU - GALILEO : YES, at last ! (RAPID)
  Following on from the unanimous conclusions of the Barcelona European Council on 13-14 March, the Council of Transport Ministers released the € 450m needed to develop GALILEO, Europe's satellite navigation and positioning system, and at the same time adopted the regulation establishing the joint undertaking responsible for operating it. The GALILEO project, which has been developed in conjunction with the European Space Agency, will enable users to accurately determine their positions in time and space at any given time.

Issue no. 224 - 16 February 2002

• Europe - Microsoft the loser in cable sector shake-up (FT)
  It is too soon to say who will emerge as a winner from the turmoil in Europe's cable sector. But the massive debt restructurings at UPC, Europe's biggest cable company, and NTL, the largest UK operator, suggest there is so far one clear, and surprising, loser - Microsoft.

Issue no. 217 - 16 December 2001

• UE - Galileo ne tourne pas rond (transfert)
  Six états de l´Union européenne (UE) rechignent à financer la prochaine étape de Galileo, le programme européen de radionavigation par satellite. Motif : un débat sur la participation du privé au financement du projet. Explications de Brian Lerner, auteur d´une étude commandée par l´UE au cabinet PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Issue no. 216 - 8 December 2001

• EU - Municipal tax applying only to satellite dishes contrary to freedom to provide services (ECJ)
  Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-17/00 François De Coster v Collège des bourgmestre et échevins de Watermael. The tax regulation adopted by a Belgian municipality applying only to satellite dishes penalises programmes transmitted from other Member States and that barrier to trade cannot be justified by concern for the protection of the environment as argued by the municipality

Issue no. 214 - 23 November 2001

• European Space Agency backing GPS system (IDG)
  The European Space Agency (ESA) has provided $466 million in funding for a European version of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) called Galileo, a move that could eventually lead to development of dual-system GPS/Galileo receivers that have greater accuracy, availability, continuity and integrity than single-band GPS receivers, according to GPS experts.

Issue no. 213 - 11 November 2001

• TV networks sue maker of digital video recorder (AP)
  Three major television networks are suing the maker of the first Internet-ready personal digital video recorder, saying the ReplayTV 4000 lets people make and distribute illegal copies of television programs. See also Networks See Threat in New Video Recorder (New York Times).

• UK - BBC seeks cheaper access to satellite network (FT)
  The BBC is lobbying Oftel, the telecommunications regulator, for cheaper access to British Sky Broadcasting's satellite network and the potential for free carriage to reflect its need to be universally available to viewers.

• Satellite-Net venture seen scrapped (Wall Street Journal)
  A joint venture backed by Lockheed Martin and several telecommunications and media companies is expected to pull the plug on an ambitious $3.7 billion project to provide satellite-delivered Internet services to corporate customers, after failing to line up additional financing.

Issue no. 196 - 15 May 2001

• Senator warns Murdoch over US satellite plans (FT)
  John McCain, the powerful Republican senator, has fired a warning shot across the bows of Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul who has ambitious expansion plans in the US broadcast and satellite television market.

• UK cable groups in ad link (FT)
  NTL and Telewest, the UK's dominant cable operators, signalled increased co-operation when they announced plans to merge their advertising sales operations. The deal will create a one-stop shop for advertisers wanting access to cable customers and allow advertising campaigns to be launched across the entire UK cable industry.

Issue no. 191 - 19 March 2001

• ITV pays £100m to go digital (FT)
  ITV could be available to Sky Digital viewers by the end of this year, after the broadcaster struck a £100m ($144m) 10-year deal with Societe Europeenne des Satellites to put its channel on satellite.

Issue no. 189 - 5 March 2001

• AT&T wins on cable-ownership limits (Bloomberg News)
  Siding with AT&T, a U.S. appeals court overturned a cap that had barred any cable company from controlling more than 30 percent of the U.S. market.On a 3-0 vote, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the Federal Communication Commission rules violated the free-speech rights of cable companies. The court also said the agency lacked authority from Congress to implement the caps. Although the court gave the FCC the opportunity to reconsider the rules and perhaps reissue them later in a different form, the court said the agency had failed to support its argument that the rules were necessary to ensure programming diversity.

• Satellite move by Classics (FT)
  Online Classics, which broadcasts music and performing arts over the internet, has been forced to launch a satellite channel because of delays to the development of broadband networks in the UK.

Issue no. 188 - 24 February 2001

• D.Telekom Agrees to Cable Sale to LibertyMedia (Reuters)
  German telecoms group Deutsche Telekom has agreed to sell majority stakes in six regional cable TV companies to a partnership based around U.S. media investment vehicle Liberty Media.

Issue no. 186 - 3 February 2001

• UK - Sky Digital 'dumps' ITV (Observer)
  The bitter war between BSkyB and ITV exploded last night after sources said it had gone cold about taking the network on Sky Digital

Issue no. 156 - 20 May 2000

• Galileo: Ms de Palacio pledged support for Europe requests for frequencies (RAPID)
  Ms de Palacio, Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Transport and Energy, addressed the delegates of the World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC 2000) in Istanbul. Ms de Palacio asked the participants to support for Europe requests for frequencies and in particular for the GALILEO programme of navigation by satellite.

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