FCC Dismisses Satellite Proposals: Federal regulators, under...

FCC Dismisses Satellite Proposals: Federal regulators, under pressure from the Clinton administration, dismissed separate requests Monday by Tele-Communications Inc. and TelQuest Ventures to beam TV programs into the United States from satellites that would occupy Canadian-authorized orbits. The Federal Communications Commission’s International Bureau said the companies’ applications were premature. “Canada has not licensed the satellites the applicants seek to use and, in fact, we have no assurance that the space stations will be licensed,” said Don Gips, acting chief of the bureau. Although the FCC’s action is a setback for the companies’ plans to get into the direct-broadcast satellite business, it does not preclude them from refiling the applications to the FCC. In April, MCI Communications Corp. asked the FCC to reject the companies’ request, saying they are backdoor efforts to provide DBS service in the United States. MCI paid $682.5 million in January for the last remaining DBS license in the U.S.