More than 24,000 healthcare facilities nationwide now can get DirecTV at a reduced rate under an agreement between AT&T and HealthTrust, the telco and pay-TV provider said in a news release Thursday. The deal includes retirement facilities served by the healthcare group purchasing organization, it said.

The FCC spectrum frontiers order setting up rules for shared use of 28 GHz is "good for 5G and for the satellite industry," ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg said in the company's fiscal Q1 earnings call Wednesday. The July order (see 1607140052) accommodated the grandfathering of teleport gateways for existing satellite systems, including ViaSat's ViaSat-1 and ViaSat-2 and provisioned "for many thousands of new gateways" for ViaSat-3 and others that use the 28 GHz bands, he said. The order acknowledged the need for more study of interference from 5G use of the 28 GHz band, "so I think we believe that there is a framework in place for a good outcome, but there's still a lot of work to be done," he said. Dankberg said ViaSat-2 construction and integration is largely done and the satellite is in the midst of environmental test screening. Chief Financial Officer Shawn Duffy said the company's capital expenditures were up $55 million in the quarter due to spending on ViaSat-2 and related ground segments ahead of the expected launch at year's end, and due to the two ViaSat-3 satellites under construction. Revenue rose 5 percent to $363.1 million in the quarter ended June 30 from the year-ago period, though net income fell 29 percent to $1.9 million, the company said in a news release. It said new contract awards rose 10 percent.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) is supporting OneWeb's proposed 720-satellite constellation. In a letter to FCC commissioners posted Tuesday in the International Bureau file, Walker said the OneWeb plan "is attractive because it eliminates the need to construct middle mile connections to primary teleports or earthstations," making it "an ideal low-cost solution where the geographic isolation and environmental protection challenges make rural Alaska's middle mile infrastructure cost prohibitive." OneWeb also "would be a game changer" in Alaska's ability to take part in the federal FirstNet program, Walker said. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), meanwhile, in a letter posted last month, said no satellite operators should be licensed in the 10.7-11.7 GHz band -- which includes the 10.68-10.7 GHz passive service band used in radio astronomy -- without demos of how they will protect radio astronomy operations there from emissions into the passive band. There are no broad international standards for allowing interference into passive service bands, but NRAO said the ITU Radiocommunication Sector caps the maximum level of data loss in passive service bands at 5 percent from all networks in one system, and it said a 5 percent data loss to radio astronomy from unwanted emissions "would be a terrible precedent." The deadline for comments regarding or petitions to deny the constellation is Monday (see 1607180006).

Intelsat wants to relocate its Intelsat 904 to 45.1 degrees east and extend its license term through Dec. 31, 2019. In an FCC International Bureau filing Friday, Intelsat said it already filed a special temporary authority request to start drifting the satellite from its current location at 60 degrees east, starting Dec. 1. The company said Intelsat 33e, which is scheduled for launch later this year, will replace it at 60 degrees east. The relocation of 904 is to provide continuity of service to customers currently on Intelsat 12, which is to be de-orbited in late 2017, Intelsat said. Intelsat 904 was launched in 2002, and while its current license term expires March 27, that is "well before the expected end of service life for the satellite," the company said.

In its new home at 61.2 degrees west, EchoStar 12 will be an in-orbit spare, with its relocation making way for the arrival of EchoStar 18, EchoStar said in an FCC International Bureau filing Friday seeking special temporary authority to relocate EchoStar 12 from 61.35 degrees west. The company said it plans to obtain regular modification authority for EchoStar 12's move.

Dish Network raised $2.72 billion in its most recent convertible note offering, the company said in a news release Monday. The company previously said, and reaffirmed Monday, the money is intended "for strategic transactions" that could include wireless and spectrum-related purchases (see 1608030045).

DirecTV can conduct a three-hour deposition of FTC staff attorney Michael Ostheimer about the factual basis for the agency's investigation of DirecTV advertising and the support of its claims, and the FTC can compel the AT&T business to produce the text-mining algorithm it uses on its RIO customer notes system, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James of San Francisco in a discovery order (in Pacer) Friday. The two have been clashing over discovery matters (see 1606100016) as part of the FTC's 2015 lawsuit claiming DirecTV didn't properly communicate early cancellation fee terms to subscribers (see 1503110042). James also denied an FTC request to compel the deposition of DirecTV Deputy General Counsel Takehiko Suzuki about the company's compliance with a multistate agreement between DirecTV and all 50 states that dealt with similar claims but that the FTC didn't join, but said the agency can depose a designee to testify about the compliance program. James' order said it dealt with the last remaining discovery disputes.

SiriusXM will require its telemarketing vendors to use manual phone dialing systems that require human intervention to initiate calls to cellphones, separate from the automatic dialing systems used by vendors to call landline phones, under a proposed settlement that could end multiple lawsuits alleging Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations, said court documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Newport News, Virginia. SiriusXM and plaintiffs' counsel indicated in June they were close to finalizing a $35 million settlement agreement (see 1606080019). Every settlement class member would get three months of free Select service without having to file a claim, or alternately the ability to file a claim for a pro rata share of the $35 million common fund, said court filings (in Pacer). The per-class-member cash award would likely be $5 to $15, said a memorandum in support of the motion for preliminary approval. Attorney's fees won't exceed 30 percent of the total value of the settlement, according to court documents. The motion for preliminary approval of the settlement said the pact would cover people who received SiriusXM programming on a promotion basis tied to purchase or lease of a vehicle that ended by April 5; received calls on behalf of the company to their mobile numbers between Feb. 15, 2008, and July 5, 2016; and never subscribed or subscribed but after July 5. The motion said SiriusXM didn't oppose it. The settlement would cover litigation against the company in Virginia, California, Illinois and Florida. SiriusXM didn't comment Monday.

Globalstar is talking with the FCC about remaining in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act if any changes are made to the terrestrial low-power service (TLPS) broadband draft order being circulated. In an ex parte filing Monday in docket 13-213, Globalstar recapped a meeting with FCC Deputy Associate General Counsel William Richardson at which it discussed finalizing the rules in the TLPS proceeding. The company said it asked if the Office of General Counsel wanted input on legal or procedural issues, especially "legal or factual support as to compliance with Administrative Procedure Act requirements." Changes could be afoot for the draft order, as Commissioner Mike O'Rielly last week indicated he was interested in modifications (see 1608050042). The company and FCC didn't comment.

Satelites Mexicanos wants a blanket license for 15,000 Ku-band very small aperture terminals (VSAT) that would support its SmartLNB dishes. In an FCC International Bureau filing Thursday, the company -- doing business as Eutelsat Americas -- said the terminals are intended to help provide satellite-based broadband, IoT, machine-to-machine and related services. The company said the VSAT terminals previously were licensed by the agency for use in a Ku-band VSAT network with SmartLNB technology, and would employ numerous licensed hub earth stations to communicate with the terminals.