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TAKE A LOOK AT OTHER YEARS: 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1989 JANUARY THROUGH APRIL Jan. 15, 1990: General Instrument Corp.'s VideoCipher Division begins shipping its VideoCipher II Plus, the long-awaited successor to the broken VC II. (Satellite Business News, Jan. 24, 1990) Jan. 22: The issue of whether and how to convert satellite dealers involved in piracy to legitimate businesses becomes a heated one within the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association. (Satellite Business News, Feb. 7, 1990) Jan. 2: The second session of the 101st Congress gets underway with the Senate Communications Subcommittee considering a bill to reimpose rate and other regulation on the cable industry. (Satellite Business News, Feb. 7, 1990) Feb. 8: Nine major multisystem cable operators and GE American Communications Inc. announce plans to launch a DBS service on GE Americom's Ku-band Satcom K1 satellite. (Satellite Business News, Feb. 21, 1990) Feb. 13: Home Dish Satellite Networks Inc. is indicted in Alabama on obscenity charges because customers in the state received the company's American Extasy adult entertainment service. Also indicted are GTE Spacenet Corp., Home Dish's satellite carrier, and U.S. Satellite Inc., a Salt Lake City company that uplinks American Extasy. (Satellite Business News, March 7, 1990) Feb. 21: General Motors Corp.'s Hughes Communications Inc., General Electric Co.'s NBC, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Ltd., and Cablevision Systems Corp. announce plans to launch Sky Cable," a high-powered DBS service in 1994. (Satellite Business News, March 7, 1990) Feb. 28: VC II authorizations fall to less than 4,000 for the month and hackers, anticipating difficulty in breaking the VC II Plus, begin stockpiling VC IIs. (Satellite Business News, March 21, 1990) March 9: Home Dish's legal problems lead GTE to kick American Extasy off its satellite. Over the next two months, lost revenue from American Extasy will force Home Dish to stop transmitting its mainstream movie service, Stardust Theatre. (Satellite Business News, March 21, 1990) March 28: HBO Satellite Services Inc. says it will sell its programming wholesale to third-party distributors, reversing a long- standing policy. The first agreement will be signed in June with Consumer Satellite Systems' National Programming Service. (Satellite Business News, April 4, 1990) April 11: Hughes Communications Inc. forces Tuxedo Network Inc. off its Galaxy 2 satellite when that service comes under investigation for obscenity in Alabama. Tuxedo is indicted soon afterward. (Satellite Business News, May 2, 1990) April 11: A shortage of VC II Plus modules delays the upgrade program for a month. The program, which allows consumers to trade VC IIs for VC II Pluses for $129, is now scheduled to begin May 1. (Satellite Business News, April 18, 1990) April 12: The FCC votes not to endorse the establishment of a decoder standard for satellite programming. (Satellite Business News, May 2, 1990) April 17: TVN Entertainment Corp. announces it will launch a pay- per- view service in September, even though it has not signed any long-term distribution deals with major movie studios. TVN has major backing from Uniden America Corp. and plans to offer 10 pay-per-view channels and seven basic channels on AT&T's Telstar 303 satellite. (Satellite Business News, April 4, 1990) April 29: British Satellite Broadcasting Ltd. launches its five- channel DBS service in direct competition with Rupert Murdoch's Sky Television. Sky had launched in 1989, but BSB was delayed by technical problems. (Satellite Business News, April 18, 1990) MAY THROUGH AUGUST May 2: The SBCA purchases Satellite Television Technology International Inc. for around $2.25 million and becomes the sole owner of the industry's two major trade shows. (Satellite Business News, May 2, 1990) May 14: K Prime chooses Scientific-Atlanta Inc. to develop its scrambling system, an updated version of B-MAC. (Satellite Business News, May 30, 1990) May 14: GI's trade-in program offers consumers a VC II Plus with a VideoPal for one price, and GI will cease authorizing new VideoPals with VC IIs. Meanwhile, while piracy cases across the country continue to result in guilty pleas and verdicts, one Alabama dealer is found not guilty of piracy. (Satellite Business News, May 30, 1990) May 2: Following an investigation by the U.S. Customs Department, Echosphere Corp. is indicted in federal court in Dallas for violations related to the alleged illegal export of VideoCipher decoders. (Satellite Business News, June 13, 1990) June 1: Sears Roebuck & Co. accelerates its entry into the TVRO business and makes satellite dealers part of its effort. Dealers affiliated with the company can use Sears' name in advertising and allow their customers to purchase their systems with Sears charge cards. Sears is one of the first national retailers to enter the TVRO industry. (Satellite Business News, June 13, 1990) June 7: The Senate Commerce Committee passes a cable re-regulation bill. Among the bill's provisions is one requiring programmers to sell services to all multichannel operators and third-party distributors. Though the cable industry could not stop the bill, it did defeat language that would allow telephone companies into the cable business. Meanwhile, the House Energy and Commerce Committee prepares its own cable re-regulation bill, while the Bush Administration begins to send signals it opposes current re-regulation efforts. (Satellite Business News, June 13, 1990) July 3: The plans of SkyPix, a Seattle company associated with Northwest Starscan Ltd., come to light. SkyPix plans to launch an 80- channel, video compression-based pay-per-view service and begin testing it early next year. It plans to run movies at 15-minute intervals and act as a "video store in the sky." (Satellite Business News, July 11, 1990) July 9: Forstmann Little & Co. agrees to purchase GI for $1.6 billion. Forstmann is expected to sell parts of GI while keeping its cable interests--Jerrold Division and CommScope Inc.--and the VideoCipher Division. (Satellite Business News, July 11, 1990) July 18: Showtime Satellite Networks Inc. begins negotiating wholesale distribution contracts with third-party packagers. (Satellite Business News, July 25, 1990) July 26: A House version of the cable bill passes the Energy and Commerce Committee. It calls for rate regulation by the FCC and programming accessibility, but does not allow telcos into cable. (Satellite Business News, Aug. 8, 1990) July 26: The same day the House passes its cable bill, the FCC releases its long anticipated report on cable. While it allowed there are problems with some aspects of cable rates, customer service, and programming availability, the commission says increasing competition, not re-regulation, is the solution. The report does not mention whether or not telcos should be allowed into cable. (Satellite Business News, Aug. 8, 1990) Aug. 22: Forstmann completes its buyout of GI. (Satellite Business News, Aug. 22 and Sept. 5, 1990) Aug. 31: The NFL announces its plans to have the networks implement scrambling of backhauls and affiliate feeds during the season. The ensuing howls of protest from bar and restaurant owners and fans have some national advertisers and at least one Congressman complaining to the NFL. (Satellite Business News, Sept. 5, 1990) SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER Sept. 10: The House of Representatives passes its cable bill, but its progress is slowed in the Senate where cable supporters, notably Tim Wirth (D-Colo.), have problems with the programming exclusivity provisions. (Satellite Business News, Sept. 19 and Oct. 3, 1990) Sept. 10: The NFL decides there will be no scrambling this year, but the issue could return next year. The league says it may use the backhauls and affiliate feeds to experiment with pay-per-view in the future. (Satellite Business News, Sept. 19, 1990) Sept. 14: TVN misses the target date for launching its service, though it claims to be transmitting movies over its 10 scrambled channels. TVN still has no distribution deals and does not take orders for subscriptions or decoders. (Satellite Business News, Sept. 19, 1990) Sept. 18: Pressure to accelerate the move from VC II to VC II Plus builds, especially with the introduction of the "BlackCipher" module in Canada. At the same time, the SBCA's Anti-piracy Task Force faces a funding crisis, as GI hedges on paying its full allotment for the year, following its purchase by Forstmann Little & Co. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 3, 1990) Oct. 2: Bob Caird, head of HBO Satellite Services Inc., is elected chairman of the SBCA board of directors for 1991, succeeding Gordon Main. Caird will become the first programmer to hold the post. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 17, 1990) Oct. 4: Forstmann Little hires former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as chairman and chief executive officer of GI. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 17, 1990) Oct. 11: The SBCA, GI, and programmers discuss a plan to fund the APTF from the sale of VC II Plus modules, and GI agrees to pay for the VC II Plus upgrade. That plan is later changed to have businesses that control tier bits or business ports at GI's DBS Center pay a fee to the APTF. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 17 and Oct. 31, 1990) Oct. 12: Sen. Al Gore (D-Tenn.), a longtime opponent of cable, and Wirth reach a compromise on the cable bill. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 17, 1990) Oct. 19: As skepticism grows that SkyPix can launch by its target date of early 1991, Comsat tentatively agrees to invest at least $100 million in SkyPix. Meanwhile, the Sky Cable partners are having trouble reaching final agreement. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 31, 1990) Oct. 19: With little time left for debate, Gore declares the cable bill dead and blames the Bush Administration for its opposition to any sort of regulation. Both Gore and Sen. Jack Dan forth (R-Mo.), sponsor of the bill, vow the issue will return during the next session of Congress (Satellite Business News, Oct. 31, 1990) Oct. 22: The American Home Satellite Association begins to cut back on its membership services, apparently in preparation for a shut-down of the organization. (Satellite Business News, Oct. 31, 1990) Oct. 26: Congress adjourns without taking any further action on cable re-regulation. (Satellite Business News, Nov. 14, 1990) Oct. 29: Recreational Sports & Imports and several employees plead guilty to illegally exporting VideoCiphers. The company was indicted in 1989. (Satellite Business News, Nov. 14, 1990) Oct. 29: The final chapter of the Home Dish story is written as the programmer pleads guilt to violating Alabama's obscenity laws and agrees to pay $155,000 in fines and penalties (Satellite Business News, Nov. 14, 1990) Oct. 31: Warren Supply Co.'s Programmers Clearing House signs third- party agreements with several major programmers, including HBO, Showtime, The Disney Channel, and Satellite Sports Networks. In December, RS&I buys half of PCH. (Satellite Business News, Nov. 14 and Dec. 26 issues, 1990) Nov. 3: Bitter rivals BSB and Sky TV merge to form British Sky Broadcasting. The new company is expected to use Sky's programming and encryption system. The merger is a blow to GI, whose Eurocypher system was used by the former BSB. (Satellite Business News, Nov. 14, 1990) Nov. 12: K Prime launches its PrimeStar package in 24 test markets across the country. It consists of seven superstations and three pay- per-view channels. Each MSO is taking its own approach to marketing and installing the service and equipment. (Satellite Business News, Nov. 1, 1990) Nov. 27: Echosphere and several employees are indicted in Phoenix for illegal export of decoders. The case is separate from the one in June. (Satellite Business News, Dec. 1, 1990) Dec. 3: Comsat and SkyPix part company in an acrimonious barrage of charges and counter charges. Despite the loss of Comsat, SkyPix says it is still on schedule to begin testing its service early next year. (Satellite Business News, Dec. 1, 1990) Dec. 5: The Sky Cable partners are unable to agree on terms to form the company, and the project may be reformed with other partners. (Satellite Business News, Dec. 12, 1990) Dec. 13: The FCC takes steps to redefine effective competition for cable systems, which could allow the commission to re-regulate the rates of many systems. (Satellite Business News, Dec. 26, 1990)     Please direct questions about this site to general.mail@satbiznews.com q 2000 Satellite Business News Inc. All rights reserved.