Ore. telecom relay service began offering speech-to-speech relay for persons who have speech impediments but want to use their own voice as much as possible in calls. Speech-to-speech relay sets up 3-way call with communications assistant trained to recognize and interpret impaired speech patterns of persons with cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders affecting speech. Speech relay, like deaf relay, is free to users.

ITU policy forum on IP telephony ended in Geneva Fri. with series of opinions that appeared to try to balance cost and lost revenue concerns raised last week over shift of voice traffic away from circuit-switched networks. One opinion agreed on at World Telecom Policy Forum on IP telephony sets out work program for ITU, including studies to “facilitate the migration to IP-based networks.” Other studies covered include identification of cost elements of international IP connectivity in introduction of IP telephony and compatibility and interoperability issues between IP networks and public switched telephone networks. Another opinion reflects views of ITU members on issues related to IP telephony, including impact on developing countries and “financial challenges and commercial opportunities.” ITU said public policy goals related to IP telephony raised at Forum include universal service, number portability, carrier selection, privacy, public directories.

Arianespace Flight 140 was launched successfully at 5:51 p.m. ET Thurs. with 2 payloads: Orbital-built BSAT-2a geosynchronous communications satellite and Eutelsat’s Eurobird. Latter will be in geostationary orbit at 28.5 degrees E and will provide digital TV feed to 5 million homes in British Isles. BSAT-2a will move to 110 degrees E within few weeks and serve as first of 2 Japan Bcstg. Satellite System direct-to-home digital TV platforms and is expected to work for 10 years.

Ohio PUC voted 4-1 to authorize single $125 million Ameritech dividend payment to parent SBC in recognition of carrier’s “good- faith effort” to improve its local service quality. PUC last year ruled company was providing inadequate service and invoked state law allowing it to halt Ameritech dividends to SBC. PUC said it allowed single dividend payment to ascertain whether company could pay its parent and still make necessary improvements to fully comply with agency’s standards for repairs and installations. PUC made clear that its action didn’t mean Ameritech’s service was adequate and said company must petition agency again for payment of additional dividends to SBC. Dissenting Comr. Judy Jones said PUC should have required Ameritech to meet quality standards and hold to them over sustained period before releasing any dividends.

Sirius Satellite received authority from FCC to modify space station license from 2- to 3-satellite constellation using nongeostationary (NGSO) system instead of geostationary in 2320- 2332.5 MHz band. No objections were filed. Sirius said change would provide system with “enhancements” and better fulfill potential of radio network. Spokeswoman said higher elliptical orbit would allow satellite signals to be receivable at all times. She said “higher angle of elevation will provide better line of sight from satellites to vehicles” and create less chance for interference. Spokeswoman said Sirius engineers decided to make modification shortly after receiving license to construct, launch and operate satellite from FCC. “We spent a lot of resources on technical aspects of the company,” she said: “This 3-satellite configuration enables us to deliver the best service to our customers.” Testing is under way in several cities, including Houston, N.Y., San Francisco. “Our terrestrial transmitters are operating,” spokeswoman said. Sirius is expected to begin service in June.

Correction: Grant Seiffert is TIA vp-external affairs and global policy. His name was spelled incorrectly (CD March 8 p1).

As expected, Senate Communications Subcommittee Chmn. Burns (R-Mont.) introduced bill that would remove caps and limitations on universal service support by amending Sec. 254 of Communications Act. S-500, which is co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Daschle (D-S.D.)and Democratic Sens. Baucus (Mont.), Dorgan (N.D.) and Lincoln (Ark.) would: (1) Eliminate restrictions on size of high-cost support (2) Lift caps on how much universal funding individual service providers could receive. (3) Prevent FCC from enforcing or reimposing “caps or limitations on support mechanisms for rural telephone companies or exchanges they acquire based on fund size or other considerations unrelated to the sufficiency of support.” Burns said bill “would provide rural telephone companies with the resources they need to provide their customers the same high-speed Internet services that families living in urban areas enjoy.” Staffer said fact that bill had 4 Democratic co-sponsors and no Republicans “should not be read into too deeply” and Burns said expected full bi-partisan support “A lot of folks [from Congress] in rural areas obviously are interested in high-speed broadband deployment,” staffer said. Gary Lytle, USTA interim pres., said bill would enable companies “to make critical network upgrades and provide a platform they can build on” to deliver advanced services. National Telephone Coop Assn. (NTCA) said lifting of caps was “long overdue.” NTCA Pres. Michael Brunner said “small independent telecommunications carriers lost out on $130 million last year in vital support due to these caps.” Bill was referred to Senate Commerce Committee.

In light of Appeals Court ruling on cable ownership limits, FCC ought to suspend deadline for AT&T to divest cable interests until agency decides how to respond to court, FCC Comr. Furchtgott-Roth said Fri. Action by U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., (CD March 5 p1) has left agency without 30% cable ownership cap, making it hard to force AT&T to comply with it, he told reporters at breakfast briefing. “It’s impossible to compel a company to come into compliance with rules the court said are unconstitutional,” he said. Court decision, Furchtgott-Roth said, “places in substantial doubt what happens to the AT&T merger conditions.”

Charter Communications won legal right to take over disputed cable franchise in Santa Cruz County, Cal., more than 2 years after county refused to approve franchise transfer because of Paul Allen’s purchase of Charter. U.S. Dist. Court Judge William Alsup, San Francisco, ruled in Charter’s favor Wed., concluding that county had violated franchise pact and First Amendment in denying consent to transfer. Charter, which inherited 5,000 cable subscribers in Santa Cruz when it bought Sonic Cable TV, brought suit against county in early 1999 after county threatened to revoke company’s franchise and/or seek damages from it. County, which denied transfer of franchise to new Charter after Allen became majority shareholder of company in 1998, blamed its refusal on fear of excessive purchase price by Allen and alleged failure of Charter to provide requested financial and other information.

Telemundo’s objection to FCC staff grant of waiver of rules to Pappas Telecasting to move transmitter site in purchase CP for KIDN-TV Avalon, Cal. (CD March 6 p2) “is based solely” on interference station would cause to 500,000 viewers in L.A. service area, Telemundo (which owns dominant Spanish-language network in U.S.) said Fri. “It is unfortunate,” said Telemundo, that Pappas and Azteca America, its partner in plan to start 3rd Spanish-language TV network in U.S., “have taken out their frustrations [with move] to the press and it is unsettling that Pappas/Azteca would use unfounded attacks on Telemundo’s motivations as a means of diverting attention away from a significant electrical interference issue.” Telemundo said it wasn’t seeking to “restrain competition from Pappas/Azteca,” as Azteca America claimed in FCC filing, but merely wanted to assure that its ability to serve viewers wasn’t impeded.