More than 90% of cable MSOs now offer high-speed Internet access, up from 32% in late 1999, Cahners In-Stat Group said in annual survey. Study of 48 cable systems also found that 28% of MSOs now provided cable telephony, up from 3% year earlier. Another 20% said they planned to add cable telephony by year-end. On digital video side, survey said 64% of MSOs expected to have at least 5 digital channels available within next 2 years, and 18% expected to offer more than 30 digital channels by then. But cable operators said they had introduced digital cable set-top boxes to only 15% of their subscribers so far. About 44% of MSOs said they had chosen 64-QAM as their modulation technology for digital TV, while 25% had picked costlier 256-QAM modulation system.

Anthony Thornley, Qualcomm, elected to Wireless Knowledge board… Adam Perel promoted to vp-national ad sales, Comcast… Michael Bennett, ex-Mission Critical Software, joins Lane15 Software board… Rafael Fernandez, ex-Miami-Dade Police Dept., appointed vp-Latin music, RIAA… David Ross named permanent asst. gen. mgr. for technical services, KUAT Communications Group… Jeffrey Harris, ex-National Reconnaissance Office, appointed pres.-missiles & space operations, Lockheed Martin Space Systems… Robert Lemle adds vice chmn. to gen. counsel and secy., Cablevision Systems… Douglas Herzog, ex-Fox Bcstg., named pres.- USA Cable… Shannon McLeary, pres.-COO, ClearWorks Communications, moves to pres.-CEO… Changes at Teleglobe: Robert Callahan, ex-2nd Century Communications, named chief information officer; Michael Burke, ex-Equant, appointed senior vp-U.S. sales… David Thomas promoted to exec. vp-sales, Broadview Networks… Peter McDonald, ex-SBC Communications, joins CMGI board… Stephen Trotman returns to Assn. of Communications Enterprises as vp-industry relations after 5 months at InformationView.

Bush Administration support for changing export controls gives Aerospace Industries Assn. (AIA) hope of bringing change in policy on selling satellites overseas, Pres. John Douglass said in briefing Wed. in Washington, where Assn. proposed 16 changes in current export control system. Export controls require companies to obtain export licenses for satellites, rockets and component parts in process that treats parts as munitions, process that has taken average of 100 days, Vp-International Affairs Joel Johnson said. Items on U.S. munitions list requiring export license include “widely available” components such as “nuts, bolts and screws,” he said. Controls also leave components vulnerable to military sanctions and require foreign countries to get permission from U.S. to sell components to 3rd party if percentage of U.S. supplies exceeds 20%.

Ky. House Labor & Industry Committee passed radically amended version of Senate-approved bill for new “no-call” telemarketing list. Bill that passed Senate last week (SB-192) provided for exemption-free special no-call list for persons over age 70. Amendments added by House committee would abolish almost all no- call exemptions for any state no-call list as of July 2002. Current no-call law allows exemptions for local merchants, nonprofit organizations, real estate agents and many others. Another amendment would make it felony offense, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, to use deceptive or misleading sweepstakes, phony checks or other false or misleading matter to promote any goods or services.

Pegasus wants FCC to reconsider decision that gave 5 rivals authority for intersatellite links (ISLs). Pegasus challenged applications of GE Americom, Hughes, PanAmSat, Teledesic and VisionStar, which received Commission authority for ISLs. Pegasus is one of dozen companies seeking slots in 2nd round Ka-band allocations.

Rep. Boucher (D-Va.) urged USTA members to start lobbying to prevent Judiciary Committees in both houses of Congress from acquiring additional jurisdiction over telecom legislation. At USTA conference in Washington Wed., he also asked USTA to press Judiciary members to reject ALTS proposal that would require structural separation of ILECs’ network and wholesale units before offering interLATA data services, a measure he claimed was being orchestrated with support of long distance companies.

Floor discussion in first day of ITU World Telecom Policy Forum on IP telephony in Geneva involved quality of service issues for newer networks and how numbering should be handled. Three-day conference that started Wed. is first time ITU has dedicated international forum to IP telephony policy. Some participants urged that final opinion documents that will be outcome of forum not emphasize need for mandatory quality of service standards because markets and consumers would sort out that issue among competing offerings. Delegate from Tunisia, echoing concerns of several other developing countries, said his worry was that ITU remain attentive to areas where telecom infrastructure lagged behind that of developed countries. Regulators must balance interests of developed countries that have circuit-switched networks against economic impact of competing IP-based network offerings, he said. Issue is that developing countries in some cases have made “huge investments” in circuit-switched infrastructure, he said. Syrian representative Nabil Kisrawi said some countries were seeking answers on relative costs of providing IP telephony vs. services over circuit-switched networks and how their quality differed. ITU-Development Sector should take up issue, he said. Representative of Bahrain said quality of service need not be mandated, but it would be helpful to have distinctions, similar to those for economy and first class on airline flights. Economic impact of IP telephony for developing countries that have invested in circuit-switched infrastructure was framed in emotional terms at one point. Representative of Lebanon said issue was “crucial” and forum “could not shut its eyes” to possibility of bankruptcy. “Could you concede our income will be disturbed?” he asked. “How can we balance our budget afterwards?” Representative of Genuity said cost of delivering IP telephony depended on factors such as applications that would be delivered and market conditions. Model in countries such as U.S. is market-based, meaning decisions “are based on competitive pressures. If there is competition, we are driven to find the cheapest delivery.” Proceedings of forum are being audio streamed live over Internet at www.itu.int.

XM satellite “Rock” is aboard Sea Launch platform on its way from Cal. to equatorial Pacific, where it’s scheduled to launch March 18. Boeing 702 satellite is first of 3 satellites due to be flown by Sea Launch. Second is to be launched in early May.

AT&T Wireless said late Tues. it closed on $6.5 billion global note offering, part of which will be used to pay down company’s debt. Offering was done in preparation for AT&T Wireless, which trades as separate tracking stock from parent company, splitting off from AT&T in summer. AT&T said it also would use its proceeds from offering to pay down debt. Offering included $1 billion in notes due March 2006, $3 billion in notes due March 2011 and $2.5 billion in notes due 2031. “We remain on track to have the AT&T Wireless exchange offer completed in early May followed by the split-off midyear, which is subject to receipt of a favorable tax ruling,” AT&T CFO Charles Noski said.

AlphaStar International set price of basic package for 2-way residential satellite broadband service of $39.95 per month with one-time payments of $199 for both equipment and installation fees and renamed service to SkyCrossing from TeleCrossing. Company launched service in Aug. 2000 using GE Americom GE-5 satellite covering continental U.S., Canada, Caribbean and some of Latin America. Company also has potential to serve Europe, Middle East, Africa using Loral Skynet birds. Service covers areas where DSL, cable or dial-up service is unavailable or inadequate.