MS Communications

MS Communications, LLC was an American television licensing company associated with a large portfolio of low-power television (LPTV) licenses and construction permits during the 2000s. Its activities centered on acquiring and holding authorizations for low-power stations in multiple U.S. states rather than operating a conventional national broadcast network or a widely recognized consumer media service. The company became notable because it reportedly held the second-highest number of LPTV allocations in the United States at one point, while very few of its facilities progressed beyond authorization or testing. Company president Mark Silberman said that he had envisioned using LPTV facilities as the foundation for a wireless cable television service. According to the available account, he began acquiring stations as early as 1992, while most of the company's licenses were obtained in 2000. The business plan was overtaken by changes in the television market, particularly the rise of direct-broadcast satellite television, which made the proposed wireless-cable model less attractive or obsolete. MS Communications nevertheless continued to accumulate licenses and permits. By 2005, more than 200 LPTV station licenses or construction permits had been transferred to MS Communications. The scale of the portfolio contrasted sharply with its operating record: no MS Communications station had operated with more than a test pattern, and many facilities were apparently unbuilt, silent, or otherwise not providing regular programming. Some authorizations were later transferred to other parties, and certain stations eventually went on the air under different ownership. The Federal Communications Commission eventually sought information about the status of the company's authorizations after receiving reports that stations were not operating and might not have been constructed. MS Communications did not provide the requested information. On October 28, 2010, the FCC cancelled the licenses of 178 stations and notified the company that the facilities had been deleted. Additional licenses and construction permits transferred to Silberman also expired by 2018, while many remaining MS Communications authorizations were scheduled to reach their expiration dates around that period. MS Communications is therefore best understood as a historical U.S. broadcast-authorization holder rather than an active television network or established programming brand. Publicly available information does not establish a continuing operating business, a current website, a surviving station portfolio, or a formal corporate successor.

MS Communications was a U.S. company involved in the acquisition and holding of low-power television broadcast authorizations. Its president, Mark Silberman, described an intention to create a wireless-cable service using LPTV facilities. The company reportedly began acquiring stations as early as 1992, but most of its activity occurred in or around 2000, when it obtained a substantial number of licenses and construction permits. The proposed business model faced a changing competitive environment. Direct-broadcast satellite television expanded as an alternative multichannel distribution platform, reducing the commercial rationale for the wireless-cable concept. Despite the deterioration of that original plan, MS Communications continued to hold or receive transfers of LPTV authorizations. By 2005, the portfolio exceeded 200 licenses or construction permits, giving the company the second-largest number of LPTV allocations in the country according to the available historical account. The size of the portfolio did not translate into a comparable operating television service. The company's facilities were generally unbuilt, silent, or not operating with regular programming. The available record states that no MS Communications station had operated with more than a test pattern. Some licenses and permits were later transferred to other owners, and certain stations eventually became operational under those subsequent owners rather than under MS Communications. The FCC later received information suggesting that some of the company's stations were not operating and might not have been constructed. The agency requested information concerning the status of the authorizations. When MS Communications did not respond, the FCC cancelled 178 station licenses on October 28, 2010, and notified the company that the facilities had been deleted. A related FCC proceeding in 2007 concerned petitions for reconsideration and displacement applications involving a large group of MS Communications stations. The company's remaining authorization position also deteriorated over time. Approximately 60 station licenses or construction permits transferred to Silberman expired by 2018, and many other MS Communications authorizations were due to expire during that year. The historical evidence does not establish that MS Communications operated a sustained television network, maintained a significant programming operation, or remained an active media brand after these regulatory and authorization losses. Its principal significance lies in the unusually large scale of its LPTV holdings and the contrast between its ambitious distribution concept and the limited construction and operation of the authorized facilities.

• 2018

  Additional authorizations expire

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  About 60 licenses or construction permits transferred to Silberman had expired by this time, and many other MS Communications authorizations were scheduled to expire.

• 2010

  FCC deletes 178 stations

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC cancelled the licenses of 178 MS Communications stations after the company failed to provide requested operating-status information.

• 2007

  FCC rules on MS Communications applications

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC denied petitions for reconsideration and affirmed dismissal of displacement applications involving MS Communications facilities.

• 2005

  Portfolio exceeds 200 LPTV authorizations

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  More than 200 station licenses or construction permits had been transferred to MS Communications, placing it among the largest U.S. holders of LPTV allocations.

• 2000

  Major expansion of the license portfolio

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Most of the company's LPTV licenses were acquired during 2000, substantially expanding its national portfolio.

• 1992

  Early LPTV acquisitions reportedly begin

  [1]MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org

  President Mark Silberman said that he had begun acquiring low-power television stations as part of a plan to develop a wireless-cable service.

A speculative U.S. broadcast-licensing venture that sought to assemble a large low-power television footprint for a proposed wireless-cable service.

• Broadcasting authorization

  Low-power television licenses

  MS Communications' principal assets were U.S. low-power television licenses. These authorizations allowed the holder to pursue operation of LPTV facilities subject to FCC requirements. The company accumulated a very large number of them, but the available record indicates that most did not develop into regularly operating stations under MS Communications.

• Broadcasting authorization

  Low-power television construction permits

  The company also held construction permits for proposed LPTV facilities in several U.S. states. These permits represented planned station projects rather than completed broadcast operations. Many facilities remained unbuilt, dark, or limited to testing, and a number of permits were later transferred, cancelled, or allowed to expire.

• Television distribution concept

  Proposed wireless-cable service

  The company's stated strategic concept was to use its LPTV footprint to provide a wireless-cable television service. The model was overtaken by the growth of direct-broadcast satellite television and does not appear to have developed into a sustained commercial service.

• 2010

  FCC authorization cancellationsOther

  Background

  The FCC sought information after receiving reports that MS Communications stations were not operating and might not have been constructed.

  Action taken

  After no information was received, the FCC cancelled 178 station licenses and permits on October 28, 2010.

  Aftermath

  The cancellation substantially reduced the company's regulatory portfolio and confirmed that the affected authorizations would no longer remain active.

  Source

• Pursuit of a wireless-cable LPTV networkStrategy

  Background

  MS Communications accumulated LPTV facilities with the intention of using them as the infrastructure for a wireless-cable television service.

  Action taken

  The company acquired and accepted transfers of a large number of LPTV licenses and construction permits.

  Aftermath

  Direct-broadcast satellite television made the original concept obsolete or commercially unattractive, while most of the authorized facilities remained unbuilt, silent, or limited to test transmissions.

  Source

1. 1MS Communicationsen.wikipedia.org