Hurricane Katrina Notebook
In a Fri. letter to FCC Chmn. Martin, who recently visited Katrina-affected areas, Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) said it’s developing an ATC system to ensure seamless emergency hybrid satellite/terrestrial communication (CD Sept 9 p4), an MSV official told us. Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV), which has deployed over 1,300 satellite terminals in the Gulf Coast area, is donating air time to relief agencies, the official said. “We're working with other telecom companies to provide onsite communication to displaced citizens, and we're reaching out to federal, state and local relief organizations, offering handsets at cost,” the official said, reporting a call volume of 4 times normal levels.
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The Weather Channel Interactive offers free mobile text message weather forecasts to relief workers on the Gulf Coast, it said. The service is available through most major providers. Standard carrier text message fees apply.
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WWL-TV New Orleans parent Belo will maintain the station on pre-Katrina funding for 12-15 months, CEO Robert Decherd wrote in a letter to station employees Fri. The new WWL facility, for which Belo broke ground just 6 weeks before the hurricane, will remain a major focus of the company, Dechard said. In addition to a general description of the station’s standing post-Katrina and providing a list of resources for helping victims of the hurricane, the letter also said Belo will manage the station’s expenses “to the extent possible” now as a long term defensive measure against major expenses in the future. Decherd said the Belo would be withdrawing its Q3 revenue and expense guidance and current full-year per- share figures.
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PanAmSat said it’s donating 6 months’ satellite capacity to the Red Cross to aid La. and Miss. relief work. PanAmSat also has deployed an experimental inflatable antenna center in Biloxi at a Red Cross center used by evacuees to send message, plus a satellite-based WiMAX network for relief workers. The firm said it’s working with the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the S.C. National Guard and the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center.
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The FCC received complaints that some emergency data weren’t accessible to disabled viewers, it said in reminding video providers of federal rules after Hurricane Katrina. Some emergency information was blocked or lacked closed captioning, the complaints stated.
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Verizon Wireless said it provided more than 10,000 wireless devices, including phones and data air cards, plus free wireless service, to entities involved in hurricane relief. The carrier also reported its cell sites covering the Baton Rouge and Miss. Gulf Coast areas were back in service Fri., with more than 70% of cell sites serving the New Orleans area restored.