FOCUS ON SATELLITE LEGISLATION TOPS SBCA 1999 AGENDA

-- Board of Directors Approves Legislative Platform, Re-Elects Officers, Approves Budget--

ALEXANDRIA, VA, November 17, 1998 – The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) Board of Directors held its annual fall meeting in Alexandria, VA, this week and dealt with a wide array of Association and industry business issues. The SBCA vowed it would continue efforts begun in 1998 to see satellite legislation passed in 1999 which would address extension of the DTH copyright license, white area, copyright fees, local-into-local retransmission, and removal of the 90-day waiting period.

"A united DTH industry brought home to Congress the need for satellite legislation," noted SBCA President Chuck Hewitt. "We will continue the momentum we gathered this year into the 106th Congress."

The Board approved SBCA’s 1999 operating budget of $5.2 million and re-elected its 1998 officers for an additional one-year term through 1999. SBCA Chairman Stan E. Hubbard, president & CEO, U.S. Satellite Broadcasting, noted, "This timely continuity of leadership will be a source of strength as we continue efforts when Congress returns in 1999 and is indicative of an industry that has come together."

The Board also approved plans to add two new membership segments to the Association. The MDU Segment will be developed for companies engaged in manufacturing, programming, distribution and retail sales and service in the Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) market. The C-band segment will be developed to ensure the growth and retention of C-band customers through training, education, market research and other programs. Current SBCA members may join these new segments at no additional dues costs.

Board officers for 1999 are as follows: U.S. Satellite Broadcasting President & CEO Stanley E. Hubbard, chairman; NFL Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Tola Murphy-Baran, vice chair and secretary; MTV Networks Senior Vice President Christine Sheehan, vice chair and treasurer; Starpath Communications President Rik Hawkins, vice chair - retailer; 1997 Board Chair Vinnie Bauer, senior vice president, HBO, will continue to serve as past chair; and, Taylor Howard, chief technology officer & vice chairman, Chaparral Communications, continues as chair emeritus.

Additional Executive Committee members elected for 1999 are as follows, DBS Segment: Bob Phillips, NRTC; Distributor Segment: Brad Foreman, O’Rourke Brothers Distributing; Manufacturers Segment: Pat Ruggieri, Sony Electronics; Platform Provider Segment: Eddy Hartenstein, DIRECTV; Charlie Ergen, EchoStar Communications; Carl Vogel, PRIMESTAR, Inc.; Programmer Segment: Gene Falk, Showtime Networks Inc.; Retail Segment: Jeff LeHew, Via Satellite Inc.; SIA: Lon Levin, American Mobile Satellite Corp.; and SBCA President Chuck Hewitt.

The Board also announced sites for SBCA’s National Satellite Convention and Exposition for the next several years: 1999, Las Vegas; 2000, Las Vegas; 2001, Nashville; and, 2002, Denver.

The Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association of America (SBCA) is the national trade organization representing all segments of the home satellite industry. It is committed to expanding the utilization of satellite technology for the broadcast delivery of entertainment, news, information, and educational programming. The SBCA is composed of DBS service providers, programmers, equipment manufacturers, distributors, retailers, encryption vendors, and national and regional distribution companies.