Separate Statement of Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth on Lockheed Martin Corporation, COMSAT Government Systems, LLC, and COMSAT Corporation, Applications for Transfer of Control of COMSAT Corporation and Its Subsidiaries, Licensees of Various Satellite, Earth Station Private Land Mobile Radio and Experimental Licenses, and Holders of International Section 214 Authorizations.

SEPARATE STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER HAROLD W. FURCHTGOTT-ROTH

Re: Lockheed Martin Corporation, COMSAT Government Systems, LLC, and COMSAT Corporation, Applications for Transfer of Control of COMSAT Corporation and Its Subsidiaries, Licensees of Various Satellite, Earth Station Private Land Mobile Radio and Experimental Licenses, and Holders of International Section 214 Authorizations. (rel. July 31, 2000).

I fully support today’s decision to grant transfer of these licenses. Nonetheless, I cannot endorse the majority’s decision to subject these applications to a "market analysis" presumably designed to assess the impact of these transfers on the satellite services market. As I have stressed elsewhere, I believe such concerns are outside the scope of our public interest review and duplicative of the work of other agencies.¹ So long as license transfers comport with our rules, I believe our approval should be swift and sure. Culling out certain transactions for special treatment undermines predictability, diminishes transparency, delays resolution, and ultimately harms the public interest.

1. See Separate Statement of Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth in Re: Voicestream Wireless Corporation or Omnipoint Corporation, and Voicestream Wireless Holding Company, Cook Inlet/VS GSM II PCS, LLC or Cook Inlet/VS GSM II PCS, LLC, and various subsidiaries and affiliates of Omnipoint Corporation, and Cook Inlet/VS GSM II PCS, LLC or Cook Inlet/VS GSM III PCS, LLC Application for Consent to Transfer of Control and Assignment of Licenses and Authorizations 15 FCC Rcd. 334 (2000). See also Separate Statement of Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth in Re: GTE Corporation and Bell Atlantic Corporation, Applications for Transfer of Control of Domestic and International Section 214 and 310 Authorizations and Application to Transfer Control of a Submarine Cable Landing License, Memorandum Opinion and Order (rel. June 16, 2000).