[Medianews] INTERNET PIRACY OF U.S. TV SHOWS ON THE RISE
INTERNET PIRACY OF U.S. TV SHOWS ON THE RISE Widespread Broadband Makes Video Theft Easier; Commercials Being Stripped Out April 21, 2005 QwikFIND ID: AAQ50A By Claire Atkinson Ad Age http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=44827 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Online piracy of TV shows is on the rise, according to a study released yesterday by Magna Global. The Interpublic Group of Cos. agency also issued a list of the top 10 programs pirated around the world on peer-to-peer site BitTorrent Networks in February. Programs leading the list were 24, Stargate Atlantis and The Simpsons. Worse yet, peer-to-peer network users are routinely stripping out the commercials before distributing the programs, for free, across the global network, the study found. Just the beginning As broadband access continues to grow and as access speeds continue to increase, we believe that we are only observing the beginning of these phenomena, the Magna Global report said. It also quotes Envisional, a U.K.-based peer-to-peer traffic-monitoring company, which claims that on a worldwide basis, downloads of 24 via BitTorrent rose from an average of 35,000 for each episode from last year's season to 95,000 for each episode this year. Likewise, downloads of ABC's Desperate Housewives rose from 40,000 for the debut episode in the fall 2004 to 60,000 for more recent episodes. NBC's 'Joey' The German-based SR Consulting found that season one episodes of NBC's Joey were downloaded 25,000 times in the U.S. and 100,000 globally during the period of Jan. 15 to Feb. 26. The report, written by Brian Wieser, Magna Global's vice president and director of industry analysis, takes traditional media companies to task for not better exploiting the online world as an area for potential revenues. Media companies, however, tend to argue that protecting their lucrative DVD revenues is more important than Webcasting programs for online pirates to copy. Product placement The study also suggests that product placement will become even more important as downloaders strip out traditional spots. Possible ways of exploiting peer-to-peer networks, according to the study, include distributing classic commercials for free, trial versions of software or branded entertainment content with a consumer call to action. George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] Woman in Wendy's Finger Case Arrested
Woman in Wendy's Finger Case Arrested Associated Press Apr 22, 2005 8:59 AM (ET) By CHRISTINA ALMEIDA http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050422/D89KFAL00.html LAS VEGAS (AP) - The woman who claimed she found a finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili last month has been arrested, the latest twist in a bizarre case about how the 1 1/2-inch finger tip ended up in a bowl of fast food. Anna Ayala was taken into custody late Thursday at her Las Vegas home, police said. Authorities would not provide details until a news conference Friday in San Jose, Calif. - the city where Ayala claimed she bit down on the finger in a mouthful of her steamy stew. Ayala's 18-year-old son, Guadalupe Reyes, said he had gone to the store around 9 p.m. when he got a phone call from a friend who was back at the Las Vegas home. We rushed back and she was already gone, Reyes said. Reyes said he had no other details and was waiting to hear from his mother. Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. (WEN) did not immediately return a call Friday. Ayala's claim that she found the finger tip, complete with a well-manicured nail, on March 22 initially drew sympathy. But when police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, and her story has become a late-night punch line. Ayala hired a lawyer and filed a claim against the Wendy's franchise owner, Fresno-based JEM Management. But after police searched her home in Las Vegas and continued to question her family, she dropped the lawsuit threat, saying the whole situation was just too stressful. Lies, lies, lies, that's all I am hearing, Ayala said after police started questioning her. They should look at Wendy's. What are they hiding? Why are we being victimized again and again? As it turns out, Ayala has a litigious history. She has filed claims against several corporations, including a former employer and General Motors, though it is unclear from court records whether she received any money. She said she got $30,000 from El Pollo Loco after her 13-year-old daughter got sick at one of the chain's Las Vegas-area restaurants. But El Pollo Loco spokeswoman Julie Weeks said last week that the company reviewed Ayala's February 2004 claim and paid her nothing. Earlier Thursday, Wendy's International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain. Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy's also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger's original owner. George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] 2nd Chip Maker Admits Guilt in a Price-Fixing Conspiracy
April 22, 2005 2nd Chip Maker Admits Guilt in a Price-Fixing Conspiracy By STEPHEN LABATON NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/technology/22chip.html?pagewanted=printposition= WASHINGTON, April 21 - Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that a second big maker of computer memory chips, Hynix Semiconductor of South Korea, had agreed to plead guilty to participating in a global conspiracy to fix prices and would pay a $185 million fine, the largest criminal penalty assessed during the Bush administration. The Justice Department announced the inquiry last September and disclosed that Infineon Technologies, a German chip maker, had agreed to pay a $160 million fine in the case. Shortly after that announcement, four Infineon executives pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fix prices and were each sentenced to penalties of $250,000 and prison terms of four to six months. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales said that the case was another significant step forward in the department's ongoing fight to break up and prosecute international cartels that harm American consumers. This case shows that high-tech price-fixing cartels will not be tolerated, he said. At a news conference announcing the latest plea agreement, Scott D. Hammond, the head of the criminal enforcement section of the antitrust division at the Justice Department, said that the six largest computer makers and countless consumers were victims of the scheme that ran from April 1999 to June 2002. The memory chips are used in an array of consumer electronic products and computers. The investigation began after computer makers complained about possible collusion in the memory equipment market. The computer makers that Mr. Hammond said were hurt by the conspiracy are Dell, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Apple, I.B.M. and Gateway. Mr. Hammond declined to quantify how much consumers were hurt by the scheme. He said in some instances, the price of chips rose by more than 100 percent and that computer makers responded by either increasing the prices of their products or offering less memory in personal computers and laptops. He would not identify co-conspirators because he said the inquiry was continuing. But much is already known about the case. Micron Technology has acknowledged that it received amnesty for providing assistance in the inquiry. Samsung and Nanya Technology are defendants in a related class-action lawsuit brought by consumers. Hynix disclosed last month that it had set aside $346 million to cover possible costs associated with the investigation and related civil action. Samsung, the largest maker of memory chips, has said it put aside $100 million and has received subpoenas from a grand jury examining the matter. Mr. Hammond said that the government was not seeking restitution from Hynix because of the class-action case. In the criminal case that Mr. Hammond said would be filed in federal court in San Francisco, the government accused Hynix of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act by participating in meetings, conversations and communications in the United States and elsewhere to discuss the prices of memory chips. There was almost constant communication between the companies, Mr. Hammond said. Pricing was negotiated on a regular monthly basis. There were weekly and sometimes daily conversations. The $185 million penalty is the third-largest criminal fine under the Sherman Act. The two larger fines were levied in 1999 against two vitamin makers: $500 million against Hoffman-La Roche and $225 million against BASF. George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] Spaceway-1 / SeaLaunch Upcoming Launch Coverage Tues (4-26) 3 am ET AMC-9 12040 H
This upcoming Tuesday morning (4-26), Sea Launch is scheduled to launch DIRECTV's Spaceway-1 communications satellite on a Zenit-3SL rocket from the Odyssey Launch Platform positioned on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Launch window opens at 3:31 a.m. EDT. Spacecraft separation 30 minutes after lift off. Spaceway-1 is the first of four Ka-band satellites based on Boeing 702 model bus. The spacecraft includes a flexible payload with a fully steerable downlink antenna that can be reconfigured on orbit and will be located at 102.8 degrees West Longitude. Broadcast coverage: AMC-9 @ 83 degrees West, transponder 17 Ku band (12040 Mhz Horizontal) Analog. Audio: 6.2 / 6.8 subcarrier = English Test signals start at 2:45 a.m. EDT. (11:45 p.m. PDT. 4/25) Broadcast starts at 3 a.m. EDT. (12 a.m. PDT.) Don't have a dish, a webcast of launch is available at: http://www.sea-launch.com/current_index_webcast.html Additional coverage at: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/spaceway1/status.html http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/next_launch.html http://www.sea-launch.com/current_launch.html -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at 10pm EST. on RFD, W0KIE Satellite Radio Network AMC-7 Transponder 5 / 7.50Mhz (4DTV W-7 973), WTND-LP 106.3, and many micro LPFM stations. http://dishnuts.net Show Archives: (DOWN) Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] Podcasting: Making Waves
Podcasting: Making Waves By Sam Whitmore Forbes.com 04.21.05, 6:00 AM ET http://www.forbes.com/technology/2005/04/21/cz_sw_0421whitmore.html Just when we grasped what blogging was all about, along came podcasting, which in some ways is even more disruptive and exciting than blogging. Being a podcaster myself, I've seen firsthand the business and legal chaos podcasts have created. As you'll see in this column, perhaps they might soon create some political chaos too. Simply put, podcasting is the act of recording and transmitting digital audio over the Internet to one's computer or MP3 player. The pod in podcasting refers to Apple's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) iPod, but any MP3 player can play podcasts. Using a streaming-media player, you also can listen to podcasts right off the Web. Most listeners do. Researchers from the Pew Internet American Life Project this month claimed that more than 22 million American adults own iPods or MP3 players and more than one in four of them have downloaded podcasts. That seems high to me, and many agree, but Pew stands firm. No matter. Podcasting is here to stay. Paris Hilton will podcast this month to promote her new movie House of Wax. Air America, National Public Radio and Clear Channel Communications (nyse: CCU - news - people ) all podcast their programs, or say they soon will. A new SciFi Channel podcast featuring Battlestar Galactica Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore gives a running commentary on each episode. Viewers can download the audio and listen along while they watch. Forbes.com, too, podcasts. Click here to listen to excerpts from its weekly radio show. Meanwhile, podcast entrepreneurs jockey to make money and consolidate power. Boku Communications co-founder Adam Curry, a former personality with Viacom's (nyse: VIAb - news - people ) MTV, wants to coax podcasters into creating shows using Boku's professional-quality audio production tools, which they'll find at podshow.com. To the extent he can empower podcasters, Curry hopes that advertisers will be inspired to shift advertising dollars toward Boku and its roster of audio talent. Says Curry, Madison Avenue realizes there's an entire generation out there that doesn't listen to the radio. Already there's disruption within the podcasting community itself. Most podcasting pioneers deplore commercialization--just as the dot-edu and dot-org communities bad-mouthed dot-com Web sites a decade ago. Podcast populists, for example, promote obscure musicians by playing independent music not licensed by the Recording Industry Association of America. Others, such as me, use copyrighted music. Is this legal? Good question. A week after launching my own podcast, Closet Deadhead, I traveled to New York and presented checks to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music for composing rights to the Grateful Dead's music. ASCAP told me I needed two other kinds of licenses: performance licenses from the record companies and a manufacturing license, which grants me the right to create a digital copy of a given performance. So I investigated. Warner Music's Charles Comparato told me this month that his company's podcasting policy is still evolving. Contradicting ASCAP, J.C. Lindstrom from the Harry Fox Agency--licensers of manufacturing rights--told me, We don't have a policy for podcasting at this time. Both Comparato and Lindstrom advised me to keep podcasting. I also contacted the Grateful Dead organization, which owns performance rights to Grateful Dead licensed recordings made since 1973. Chief Executive Cameron Sears says his team is crafting its own podcasting policy and will get back to me. Podcast integrity is a bigger issue than licensing. And here's why. When you create a podcast, you create a digital file that listeners can save to their computers. Most listeners delete podcasts shortly after they download and listen to them. But once a digital audio file is saved, it can be reproduced as is--or manipulated. Having downloaded the first podcast from former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, I used my digital editing software to make Edwards appear to say something ludicrous and potentially damaging to the Democratic Party. My purpose was to demonstrate how effectively an amateur can misrepresent the words of a powerful person. As of this writing, there's no legal language on the Edwards site prohibiting me from slicing and dicing. If I can do it, imagine what the malicious in both parties can do. Existing licensing structures need to change and new ones created where none exist. Perhaps a No Derivative Works Creative Commons license might be appropriate: authors let others copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of their work, not derivative works based upon it. So by all means, track the blogs and watch all those crusty old newspapers and magazines writhe in agony, wondering
[Medianews] TV On The Go: Crown Castle Mobile Media Selects SES AMERICOM to Deliver Live Television Broadcasts for Mobile Handsets
SES Release TV On The Go: Crown Castle Mobile Media Selects SES AMERICOM to Deliver Live Television Broadcasts for Mobile Handsets Mobile Television Breakthrough Planned for AMC-9 Satellite, NAB Booth #C5245 LAS VEGAS April 18, 2005 SES AMERICOM, a SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges: SESG), today announced an agreement with Houston-based Crown Castle Mobile Media to enable the delivery of live television to a wide range of mobile handheld devices. The collaboration marks the most recent first for SES AMERICOMs satellite-based mobile platforms, which are already distributing data, television, and Internet access everywhere, from ocean oil rigs, freight truck fleets and commercial jetliners, as well as to tens of millions of U.S. households. As part of the arrangement unveiled at the National Association of Broadcasters Conference in Las Vegas, Crown Castle Mobile Media has leased Ku-band capacity aboard SES AMERICOMs AMC-9 satellite to reach satellite receivers across a planned DVB-H (digital video broadcast handheld) network designed to broadcast live television to mobile phones and other communications devices. SES AMERICOM is all about delivering the connections that make anywhere communications and entertainment possible, even on the screen of a cell phone, said Bryan McGuirk, senior vice president of SES AMERICOMs North American media services. This exciting collaboration will leverage the nationwide power and reach of SES AMERICOMs AMC-9 satellite together with Crown Castle Mobile Medias planned DVB-H network to deliver first-of-its-kind television broadcasts in the U.S. with all the freedom of a wireless mobile handset. Crown Castle Mobile Media is dedicated to bringing together the best equipment and services innovators in the industry to ensure mobile handset television delivers the quality and reliability todays on-the-go consumers demand, said Michael Ramke, Vice President of Business Development, Crown Castle Mobile Media. We anticipate SES AMERICOMs leading satellite-based distribution platform will help enable us to deliver on the exciting prospect of live TV on handheld mobile devices. Crown Castle Mobile Media has begun deployment of its DVB-H network in select markets. About the AMC-9 Satellite Launched in 2003, the AMC-9 satellite is an Alcatel Spacebus 3000B3 hybrid C-band and Ku-band spacecraft located at 83 west longitude. Television programmers, government agencies and enterprise networks all use and benefit from the spacecrafts increased power levels, expanded coverage areas, and SES AMERICOMs consistent high quality and redundancy. About Crown Castle Mobile Media Crown Castle Mobile Media is a subsidiary of Crown Castle International Corp. (NYSE:CCI). Crown Castle engineers, deploys, owns and operates technologically advanced shared wireless infrastructure, including extensive networks of towers. Crown Castle offers significant wireless communications coverage to 68 of the top 100 US markets and to substantially all of the Australian population. Crown Castle owns, operates and manages over 10,600 and over 1,300 wireless communication sites in the US and Australia, respectively. For more information on Crown Castle visit: http://www.crowncastle.com About SES AMERICOM The largest supplier of satellite services in the U.S., SES AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services. Established in 1973 with its first satellite circuit for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company currently operates a fleet of 16 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly providing service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. In 2001, the company established AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications networks, government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure global data networks with efficient communication and content distribution solutions. # # # -- Dishnut-P Operator of RadioFree Dishnuts - Producer of The Dishnut News heard Saturdays at 10pm EST. on RFD, W0KIE Satellite Radio Network AMC-7 Transponder 5 / 7.50Mhz (4DTV W-7 973), WTND-LP 106.3, and many micro LPFM stations. http://dishnuts.net Show Archives: (DOWN) Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] Help me? No, drop dead
Help me? No, drop dead By Terry Golesworthy News.com http://news.com.com/Help+me+No%2C+drop+dead/2010-1011_3-5678811.html Story last modified Thu Apr 21 04:00:00 PDT 2005 Why don't more corporations respond to online inquiries? That's one of the questions that continue to puzzle me as I analyze Web sites. Given the efforts marketing departments make to collect customer data, one would think they'd see an incoming query as a gift. But too many corporations don't see it that way, including the financial services firms my research firm recently surveyed in our First Quarter 2005 report. Increasingly, prospective and existing customers are interacting with corporations electronically, both for research and purchasing purposes. Those that ignore online inquiries are alienating consumers--especially young affluents, the 24- to 33-year-olds earning $75,000 or above who are the heaviest Internet users (and most likely to be asking the questions). In fact, our research indicates that 70 percent of consumers go to a competitor's site if they don't receive a timely response to an online inquiry. And losing those customers is a faux pas few companies can afford. Beyond loss of business, there is another reason companies should answer inquiries: Incoming e-mail can provide a great opportunity for cost reduction. A self-service approach can slash the cost of a customer interaction from as much as $35 on the phone to 75 cents online--a potential savings of 98 percent for just one transaction. Some 37 percent of online customers have used customer support on a site, and support costs can be reduced by $5 to $25 per incident by providing good online support facilities. Our research indicates that users expect both a timely and helpful response from online sites. Timely, according to users, is within a day--and that window is decreasing. Unfortunately, most customers dealing with financial services firms are likely to be disappointed. In fact, only one in three have any chance of receiving a helpful and timely response. And within the securities industries and credit card companies, the chances are even lower. So what happens to the people who don't get an answer within a day? Some get a response the next day, but a third receive messages that they deemed unhelpful, often involving canned text and stock answers directing users to the Web site. An amazing one out of five customers never receives a reply. The rest get replies that dribble in over the next three to four days, and they often ignore them, having since moved on. The issue of responsiveness transcends industries. In discussions with major corporations, I am often told they receive far too many e-mails per day to send replies to each inquirer. My response is to ask them whether online customers are as important as the ones that walk into a business branch or call on the telephone. Would it be acceptable to say, Look, we get so many calls per day that we sometimes let them go to voicemail, answer what we can and delete the rest? Some companies are already responding quickly and fully to inquiries, particularly new age companies that depend on the Internet as a fundamental part of their business. Not surprisingly, these companies respond to e-mails quickly, often in less than four hours, and sometimes within the hour. For example, Amazon.com leads the way for responsiveness in retail, Dell in computer products, E-Loan in financial services and Orbitz in the travel industry. Through their Web-focused approach--which treats e-mail communications as part of the business process, integrating fully with back-end systems--these companies have begun to take significant business away from traditional players that haven't seen the light. The good news is that in response to competitive pressures, some mainstream companies have re-engineered their own business processes to increase online responsiveness. That's important because e-mail responsiveness is a key litmus test for companies to determine whether they are structured to attract and service online consumers. Think of a corporation's Web site as the front door for its most demographically desirable customers. If companies don't respond to the knocking on the door, they're effectively giving away that portion of their online business. And since more than 10 percent of all purchases in the U.S. are either researched or consummated on the Web, they had better open the door. George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a Thank you if you liked this post. ___ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[Medianews] SES AMERICOM Set to Deliver Historic Space Shuttle Launch Broadcasts to Audiences Across North America
SES Release SES AMERICOM Set to Deliver Historic Space Shuttle Launch Broadcasts to Audiences Across North America Broadcasters Tap SES AMERICOM Satellites to Deliver News and On-location Live Reports From Cape Canaveral and The First Space Shuttle Launch in 2 Years PRINCETON, NJ April 19, 2005 Fresh from delivering wire-to-wire broadcasts of March Madness to millions of college hoops fans, SES AMERICOM, an SES GLOBAL company (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges: SESG), today announced its occasional use satellite services are now poised to deliver network and affiliate television coverage of the historic space shuttle launch later this spring to viewers across North America. Leading broadcasters are tapping SES AMERICOMs reliable AMC-5 and AMC-9 satellites for significant Ku-band capacity to provide extensive localized, national and international news reports on the milestone space mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The space shuttle launch this spring caps eighteen months of arguably one of the most intensive periods of noteworthy and headline-making special events and breaking news, said Kelly Dressler, director of occasional sales and satellite services for SES AMERICOM. SES AMERICOMs occasional broadcast services are always on and ready to deliver the reliability and reach broadcasters must have to inform audiences anywhere in North America and the world. Were extremely proud to provide the quality space segment that will bring broadcast news coverage of this special space mission to living rooms across North America. While many leading networks rely every day on SES AMERICOM satellites for fulltime distribution of news, information, sports and entertainment channels, the companys always on occasional business has flourished in response to a full slate of scheduled and breaking news events throughout 2004 and 2005. Broadcast news organizations across the country and the world have depended upon SES AMERICOMs reliable spacecraft to distribute news and live reports of everything from the Super Bowl, March Madness, and the Summer Olympic Games to high profile trials and hearings, the 2004 presidential election and NASAs latest launch. SES AMERICOMs prime domestic and global space segment inventory and special events and news gathering expertise have enabled broadcast and cable coverage of an action packed schedule of newsworthy events from start to finish. SES AMERICOMs success in the occasional satellite services business is based on having bandwidth available from key orbital slots, industry knowledge and industry insight, and has resulted, for example, in more than 3,600 hours of video transmission time at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and an estimated 6,000 hours of high definition (HDTV) sports programming distribution over the last year-and-a-half. SES AMERICOM has a dedicated international team focused on serving the occasional satellite contribution and distribution needs of broadcasters, news agencies, networks, cable programmers, corporations, and ISPs. Whether its a planned event or an urgent, breaking news story, SES AMERICOM, SES GLOBAL and its partners provide everything from end-to-end special events management to the instant availability of capacity and connections to distribution points around the world. To meet the around-the-clock needs of the broadcast industry, SES AMERICOM provides an online reservation system, STARS OnlineTM, which feature online access to bandwidth and inventory in every region of the world. STARS Online enables SNGs, resellers, and broadcasters to view, book, amend or cancel occasional satellite bandwidth in real-time over the Web at https://stars.ses-americom.com. The system provides customers 24/7 access to SES AMERICOMs occasional inventory of domestic C-band and Ku-band capacity, plus digital/analog video channels and transoceanic capacity. About SES AMERICOM The largest supplier of satellite services in the Americas, SES AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer of global satellite communications services. Established in 1973 with its first satellite circuit for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company currently operates a fleet of 16 spacecraft in orbital positions predominantly providing service throughout the Americas. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, SES AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. In 2001, the company established AMERICOM Government Services, a wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to providing satellite-based communications solutions to both civilian and defense agencies of the U.S. government. With its combined operations, SES AMERICOM serves broadcasters, cable programmers, aeronautical and maritime communications integrators, Internet service providers, mobile communications networks, government agencies, educational institutions, carriers and secure global data
