Generally lowering the Connect America Fund Phase II standards would create "second class" broadband in a disservice to the public, Adtran said in a comment posted Friday in FCC docket 10-90. Adtran's submission was the latest in a back-and-forth between it and Hughes Network Systems on CAF standards, including a filing Monday by the satellite company indicating the 100 GB per month data usage allowance could preclude satellite broadband operators from taking part (see 1507220049). A lesser allowance for satellite operators "is likely to limit the usefulness of satellite broadband for video streaming, which is the dominant use of the Internet presently," Adtran said. The company repeated its previous arguments against Hughes' proposed R-Factor score and pushed for its own proposed higher R-Factor score -- R-Factor being a measure of VoIP call quality (see 1506150019).

Thomson Video Networks launched its SingleFeed solution for the company's NetProcessor 9030/40 multiplexing and transport system and RD1100 receiver/descrambler, the company said in a Thursday news release. SingleFeed's aim is for easier satellite distribution of single frequency network multiplexes by terrestrial headend operators, it said.

The app offerings for Iridium Go are growing, Iridium Communications said in a news release unveiling a variety of new mobile applications for its mobile communications hub device. The apps were created through Iridium's third-party app developer program. The Iridium app market is aimed at the maritime, outdoor recreation, lone-worker safety and aviation markets, and the apps announced Wednesday include Grib Explorer Plus, which combines weather and oceanic data into imagery; PredictWind Offshore, which allows downloading of such data as weather routing and Global Maritime Distress and Safety System text forecasts; and Quick Web Information Pulls, a news, stocks and sports information aggregator. The satellite company said its third-party app developer program has more than 55 outside developers creating apps to work with the platform.

Dish Network, CEO Charles Ergen and EchoStar conspired to get LightSquared's spectrum "at fire-sale prices" through widespread racketeering and fraud, Harbinger Capital said in a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan asking for $1.5 billion in damages from Ergen, Dish, investment banker Stephen Ketchum and his Sound Point Capital Management. The litigation is similar to a Harbinger suit filed one year ago in U.S. District Court in Denver (see 1407100060) and thrown out in April on summary judgment. Harbinger -- which held most of LightSquared's common equity --- also made similar arguments in 2013 in a complaint filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court as part of LightSquared's Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The latest suit alleges Ketchum, who had a long-standing relationship with Ergen, used Sound Point to set up an investment vehicle, SPSO, through which Ergen bought large amounts of LightSquared debt to get at its spectrum. Meanwhile, Ergen's LBAC -- now a subsidiary of Dish -- also tried to purchase that spectrum with a $2 billion bid -- substantially lower than estimates in a pair of valuations Ergen had. After LightSquared filed for bankruptcy, U.S. Bankruptcy Court decided Harbinger had a conflict in considering that bid between the best course for protecting its stake and best course for LightSquared, and the court ordered creation of an independent committee to handle LightSquared's reorganization or sale, with Harbinger losing its say in the running of the company. Though LightSquared's reorganization plan saw Harbinger made partially whole, the investment company is seeking damages for the loss of the control rights it once had as Dish and Ergen "effectively breached the 'outer limits' of what is acceptable in a bankruptcy proceeding," Harbinger said in its suit filed Tuesday. Dish declined to comment Wednesday. Though Harbinger accused EchoStar of being part of the racketeering effort, it's not among the defendants.

LightSquared may be moving toward settling with at least one GPS company it's suing, as well as ending its spectrum fight before the FCC. In a letter dated Wednesday to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman in New York, LightSquared through its legal counsel said it and Trimble want court assistance "in advancing settlement negotiations" on resolution of technical issues of LightSquared's spectrum use. The two ask the court to postpone discovery for 45 days while they "discuss ways to bring full closure to the disputes that prompted this lawsuit and their disagreements before the FCC," the letter said. Those discussions will include talks about receiver susceptibility to interference, spectrum use, network architecture and business concerns. LightSquared sued GPS companies Deere, Garmin and Trimble, the U.S. GPS Industry Council and Coalition to Save Our GPS in 2013, claiming their failure to disclose potential interference problems between GPS and LightSquared's spectrum use ultimately helped lead to LightSquared's bankruptcy (see 1311040060). LightSquared separately is funding a study on how terrestrial broadband and GPS might co-exist (see 1506250008). Deere and Garmin have said "they are willing to engage in settlement discussions," the letter said. LightSquared declined further comment.

DBS operators are a step closer to paying their own multichannel video programming distributor regulatory fees now that a DBS regulatory fee category was created. The FCC in a final rule published in Tuesday's Federal Register said it created the DBS fee category for FY 2015. The proposed fee amount is 12 cents per customer per year, though the amount hasn't been finalized and satellite operators and the cable industry have been arguing over whether higher fees are warranted (see 1507080013). Higher fees seem to be in the FCC's plans, as it said in the Federal Register that due to concerns about "rate shock" to customers, "We have decided to phase in the DBS fee." The final rule also eliminates two categories of regulatory fees, amateur radio vanity call signs and general mobile radio services; sets up a requirement that the FCC Office of the Managing Director work with SMS/800 to ensure the distributors of 800-numbers have information on how to pay the regulatory fees instituted in the FY 2014 proceedings; and specifies that any debt owed the agency that is 120 days or more delinquent will be transferred to the Treasury Department for collection, instead of the previous 180-day wait before transfer.

Hughes Network Systems rolled out services and hardware aimed at the K-16 education market, including high-speed satellite Internet access for rural and remote schools and managed Wi-Fi for guest access, campus broadband, distance learning and digital signage, the satellite company said in a Tuesday news release. Some of its offerings are eligible for government funding through the E-rate USF program, Hughes said.

LightSquared faces no opposition to its request for regulatory approval to emerge from bankruptcy and the transfer of its licenses and authorizations to its reorganized self, as the final deadline for comments in docket 15-126 passed Monday with nothing filed. Given that "lack of any opposition" to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy plans, the FCC should give final approval as soon as the Justice Department has completed its customary national security, public safety and law enforcement review, the company said in a filing earlier this month. Aside from a Justice Department filing earlier this month asking the FCC to delay any approval pending that review, the only other comment filed in the case was from NAB, on foreign ownership, which took no position on the LightSquared matter (see 1507060031).

Real-time, high-definition video can transmit through helicopter blades with no signal disruption, Hughes Network Systems said Monday, announcing a demonstration of the beyond-line-sight technology by its Defense and Intelligence Systems Division. The test involved Ka-band transmissions between the Inmarsat-5 F2 satellite and a NorthStar Aviation Bell 407 helicopter, and points to more use of satellite communications-enabled helicopters operating in areas where line-of-sight communications don't work, Hughes said.

The Intelsat 34 satellite is expected to launch Aug. 18, the satellite company said in a series of requests for special temporary authority filed Friday with the FCC International Bureau. Intelsat 34 will provide broadband and communications services to western hemisphere customers. The company hopes to use its Fillmore, California; Hagerstown, Maryland; and Riverside, California, earth stations to provide launch and early orbit phase services to the satellite for roughly 10 days. Intelsat expects to send up its next satellite, Intelsat 31, in the first quarter of 2016.