PanAmSat says it welcomes US Congressional approval of breakthrough legislation that will eliminate Intelsat and Comsat’s treaty-based privileges and immunities when providing commercial telecommunications services in the United States.
PanAmSat commended Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-VA), chairman of the House Commerce Committee, for his sponsorship of the legislation and for his tireless dedication to open competition in the international satellite services market.
“For the first time, Congress has stated unequivocally that Intelsat must be privatized in a pro-competitive fashion. As an important first step, Congress has also taken specific action to ensure that Intelsat and Comsat can no longer hide behind the cloak of treaty-based privileges and immunities when they do business in the United States,” said James W. Cuminale, PanAmSat’s senior vice president and general counsel. “We commend Chairman Bliley for his long fight to create a business environment that will place Intelsat and its private competitors on a more equal footing.”
The legislation affects Intelsat, the treaty-based international satellite organization, and Comsat Corp. [NYSE:CQ – news], the
U.S. signatory to Intelsat and the monopoly provider of Intelsat satellite capacity in the United States. The legislation assures that
Intelsat and Comsat will not be immune from suit or legal process for their conduct while providing commercial telecommunications services in the United States.
The legislation was a rider to an anti-bribery bill passed yesterday by the Senate and on Tuesday by the House of Representatives. President Clinton is expected to sign the bill into law shortly.
Spacer.Com IntelSat Reports
