Barry Willis

The first week of April was a tumultuous one for <A HREF="http://www.echostar.com">EchoStar</A>. On April 3, the Littleton, CO&ndash;based direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service abruptly announced that it would terminate any further effort to promote Internet access via StarBand Communications, Inc. The next day, the FCC ruled that EchoStar was in violation of federal regulations with its "two-dish" system for delivering local television signals. The week's one bright spot for the service was a settlement with Walt Disney Company that will keep Disney and ABC programming on EchoStar's menu.

Long noted for its non-participation in the rollout of digital television, the cable industry is now making conciliatory noises about supporting the new format. But even with its support, the changeover from analog is going to take a long time, according to recent statements from Robert Sachs, president of the <A HREF="http://www.ncta.com">National Cable Television Association</A> (NCTA).

New generations of television products should be easier to connect to cable systems and easier to use, as a result of an agreement signed Thursday, December 19, by cable providers and electronics manufacturers.

Currently, a relative handful of people worldwide subscribe to Internet-on-TV services. However, according to a recent study by <A HREF="http://www.sriconsulting.com/">SRI Consulting</A>, a research firm based in Menlo Park, California, the number of Net-TV subscribers will mushroom to over 12 million in less than four years, and the cable industry is in the best position to serve these new customers.