D.C. Memo: NCTA Raises Concerns About SES's Takeover of Intelsat

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NCTA: Cable operators that need satellite services to receive TV programming appear a little nervous about SES's $3.1 billion purchase of Intelsat. According to NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, SES and Intelsat “hold the lion’s share of the C-band" in the U.S., a critical platform that enables 35 million cable customers nationwide to receive TV programming. "As it assesses the proposed transaction, the FCC should ensure that the applicants – and any successor companies – continue to provide the same quality of service to cable providers and consumers in the C-band as SES and Intelsat have provided pre-transaction," NCTA said in an FCC filing Monday. The FCC said the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecommunications Service Sector has the SES-Intelsat deal under review. As a result, the Justice Department has asked the FCC to defer action on the deal until after the committee has completed its review. SES is based in Luxembourg and Intelsat has administrative headquarters in McLean, Va. NCTA said the C-Band had additional uses. “In addition to serving an important role in video service delivery, the C-band is also necessary for other critical services, such as telephone and Internet access in remote areas,” NCTA said, citing GCI in Alaska as relying “exclusively on satellite technology for the provision of basic telephone service, medical service, and distance learning.”

FWA: FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel gave an interview to the San Francisco Examiner published yesterday in which she said broadband competition is growing as a result of Fixed Wireless Access service provided by T-Mobile and Verizon. "It’s starting to develop. For instance, the emergence of fixed-wireless systems, I think, is providing some real competitive pressure on a lot of incumbent broadband providers today, she said.  Asked if FWA was a substitute for landline broadband, she said, "The numbers suggest it is. A lot of households are signing up." In other comments, she seemed not completely sold on satellite Internet from Starlink as a competitive force. "Some of it might come from satellites in the skies. I think we have to look to a multimodal world of competition in the future," she said.