Attachment 2002Hughes ltr feb 8

2002Hughes ltr feb 8

REQUEST submitted by Hughes

Request for Confidential Treatment

2002-02-08

This document pretains to SAT-LOA-19950929-00128 for Application to Launch and Operate on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATLOA1995092900128_1031682

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                                             February 8, 2002                    )7&7 ge §IL}{// (J> LA fié

                                                      RECEIVED                                  ORLIGINAL
VIA MESSENGER

Mr. William F. Caton                                     FEB        8 2002
Acting Secretary                                 PEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMRALSSION
Federal Communications Commission                      orrice or the secaetany
445 Twelfth Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554

Attn: Mr. Thomas S. Tycz
       Chief, Satellite and Radiocommunication Division
       International Bureau




          Re:   Response to International Bureau‘s Request for Information dated January 28,
                2002—— Hughes Communications Galaxy, Inc., File Nos. IBFS No. SAT—LOA—
                 19931203—00040/41; IBFS No. SAT—LOA—19950929—00125/00129; IBFS No.
                SAT—LOA—19950929—00137 (the "Information Request")


Dear Mr. Tycz:

               In response to the Information Request, and on behalf of Hughes Communications
Galaxy, Inc. ("HCG"), we have today submitted to the Commission a copy of the Hughes
Broadband Services Spaceway North America System HSCII Agreement dated December 17,
1999, together with Amendments 1 through 6 thereto (collectively, the "Contract‘). The
Contract has been submitted under separate cover together with a Request for Confidential
Treatment under the Commussion‘s Rules. A copy of the Request for Confidential Treatment
(excluding the Contract) is being provided along with this letter.

              Pursuant to the Information Request, the executed, non—contingent Contract is
being submitted to reconfirm HCG‘s compliance with its January 31, 2002 milestone————
commencement of construction of the first satellite in the Spaceway Ka band network originally
licensed in 1997. When reviewing such a submission, the Commission seeks to confirm that
there will be neither significant delays between the execution of the construction contract and the




                     555 Eceventh StReEt, N.W., Suite 1000 * WasHincton, D.C.    20004—41304
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sATHAM & WATKINS
        Mr. William F. Caton
        February 8, 2002
        Page 2


        actual commencement of construction, nor conditions precedent to construction.‘ As previously
        demonstrated in HCG‘s Annual Status Reports on the Spaceway system, neither is the case here,
        and actual construction of the first Spaceway spacecraft has been underway for some time now.

                         HCG has submitted the portions of the Contract that are relevant to confirming
        that it has entered into a non—contingent agreement and has met its first milestone———
        commencement of construction of the first Spaceway satellite. The HCG submission includes
        the commercial terms and conditions of the agreement, the statement of work for the spacecraft,
        the milestone schedule, the payment schedule, and the guarantee from Hughes‘ vendor. The
        Contract, however, covers much more than the construction of the first Spaceway satellite. It
       provides for the construction and launch of three Spaceway spacecraft, and it provides for a
       variety of other engineering and network development services. Thus, as indicated by the places
       noted as "omitted" in the submitted Contract, HCG has redacted competitively sensitive
       provisions that (i) do not relate to the non—contingent nature of the Contract, and (ii) do not relate
       to the fact that construction of the first spacecraft has actually commenced, such as detailed
       technical information, provisions concerning on—orbit failures, line—item cost breakdowns, and
       statements of work for engineering services.

                     As indicated in the enclosed Request for Confidential Treatment, HCG believes
       that submission of an executed, non—contingent contract is not the only way to demonstrate
       compliance with a commencement of construction milestone.

                    Please note that HCG believes that the Contract submitted may contain ITAR
       and/or Commerce controlled information, and therefore should be handled appropriately by the
       Commission.




       ‘\ PandmSat Licensee Corp., 15 FCC Red 18720 (2000), affd 16 FCC Red 11534 (2001).




        DC_DOCS\433518.1[W2000]


lA?HIiM & WATKINS
        Mr. William F. Caton
        February 8, 2002
        Page 3


                     In conclusion, HCG believes that its submission is fully responsive to the
        Commission‘s request. If you should have any questions in this regard, please do not hesitate to
        contact us.                                                |

                                                        Respectfully submitted,




        Enclosure (w/o Contract)


        cc: Alyssa Roberts, FCC (w/ Contract)
            Bruce Jacobs, Shaw Pittman, LLP (w/o Contract)




        DC_DOCSU433518.1[W2000]


                                 .        BEFORE THE
                           FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                                 WAsHINGTON, D.C. 20554



In the Matter of                                          File Nos.:
                                                          IBFS No. SAT—LOA—19931203—00040/41;
Hughes Communications                                     IBFS No. SAT—LOA—19950929—00125/00129;
Galaxy, Inc.                                              IBFS No. SAT—LOA—19950929—00137




                           REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT



               Pursuant to Sections 0.457 and 0.459 of the Commission‘s rules, 47 C.F.R. §

0.457 & 0.459, Hughes Communications Galaxy, Inc. ("HCG"), Hughes Network Systems, Inc.

("HNS") and Hughes Electronics Corporation ("HEC," and, together with HCG and HNS,

"Hughes") respectfully reqliest that the Commission withhold from public inspection, and accord

confidential treatment to, the attached Hughes Broadband Services Spaceway North America

Systern HSCII Agreement, dated December 17, 1999, together with Amendments 1 through 6 .

thereté (including the attachments to the foregoing) (collectively, the "Contract‘).

               The Contract provides for the design of a Ka band satellite network, including the

construction of the first spacecraft licensed to HCG in Hughes Communications Galaxy,

Application for Authority to Construct, Launch, and Operate a Ka—band Satellite System in the

Fixed—Satellite Service, 13 FCC Red. 1351 (1997), modified, 16 FCC Red 2470 (2001), further

modified, DA 01—1457 (released June 19, 2001 & erratum released July 13, 2001) (the

"SPACEWAY License"). HCG‘s parent company, HEC (through its Hughes Network Systems

business unit) was the original Hughes party to the Contract. HNS is now a subsidiary of HEC},


and the Contract has been assigned to it. Hughes‘ vendor under the Contract, Boeing Satellite

Systems, previously was known as Hughes Space and Communications Company.

                 The Contract is being submitted in response to a January 28, 2002 letter from the

International Bureau‘ requesting the submission of an executed, non—contingent contract to verify

compliance with the January 31, 2002 commencement of construction milestone for the first |

spacecraft authorized under the Spaceway License.

                 The Contact comprises sensitive trade secrets and commercial and financial

information that squarely fall within Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act," and that

are inextricably intertwined with the other provisions of the Contract." Exemption 4 of FOIA

provides that the public disclosure requirement of the statute "does not apply to matters that are

. . . (4) trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and

privileged or confiden’;ial.”4 Hughes is voluntarily providing this trade secret, commercial and

financial information, which is "of a kind that would not customarily be released to the public"

by Hughes, in response to a request from International Bureau staff. Therefore, this information

is "confidential" under Exemption 4 of FOIA.‘ Moreover, Hughes would suffer substantial

competitive harm if the Contract were disclosed.° The Spaceway system is intended to provide

a wide variety of broadband satellite services that will compete with other satellite systems, as

well as with cable systems, DSL, and other terrestrial providers of broadband services.



‘ Letter from Thomas S. Tycz, Chief, Satellite and Radiocommunication Division, International
  Bureau, to John P. Janka, counsel for Hughes, dated January 28, 2002.
* 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4). _                                                                 _
* Mead Data Cent. v. United States Dep‘t ofthe Air Force, 566 F.2d 242, 260 (D.C. Cir. 1977).
* 5 U.S.C. § 552(b)(4).
* See Critical Mass Energy Project v. NRC, 975 F.2d4 871, 879 (D.C. Cir. 1992).
6 See National Parks and Conservation Ass‘n v. Morton, 498 F.2d 765 (D.C. Cir 1974).

                                                 2
DC_DOCSU433516.2{W2000]


                     In support of this request and pursuant to Section 0.459(b) of the Commission‘s

    rules," Hughes provides the following information.

    1.      IDENTIFICATION OF THE SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR WHICH CONFIDENTIAL
            TREATMENT Is Sovucut*

                     Hughes seeks confidential treatment of the following documents included with

    this Request for Confidential Treatment:

                  (1) Hughes Broadband Service Spaceway North America System HCSIH
    Agreement, dated December 17, 1999 (including the attachments thereto);

                   (2) Amendment No. 1 to HCSI Agreement, dated March 30, 2000 (including the
    attachments thereto);

                    (3) Amendment No. 2 to HCSII Agreement, dated May 15, 2000;

                   (4) Amendment No. 3 to HCSII Agreement, dated August 24, 2000 (including
    the attachments thereto);

                   (5) Amendment No. 4 to HCSII Agreement, dated October 6, 2000 (including the
    attachments thereto);

                   (6) Amendment No. 5 to HCSII Agreement, dated December 12, 2000 (including
    the attachments thereto); and                                    .

.                  (7) Amendment No. 6 to HCSII Agreement, dated August 15, 2001 (including
    the attachments thereto).




    ? 47 C.FR. § 0.459(b).
    8 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(1).

    DC_DOCSU433516.2fW2000]


2.        DESCRIPTION OF CIRCUMSTANCES GIVING RIsE TO THE SUBMISSION9


                 The Contract is being submitted to the Commission in response to a January 28,

2002 letter to counsel for HCG from the Chief of the Satellite and Radiocommunication Division

of the International Bureau, requesting a copy of an executed, non—contingent construction

contract to verify that construction has commenced on the first Spaceway satellite. HCG is

voluntarily cofilplying with that request.""

3.        EXPLANATION OF THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE INFORMATION Is COMMERCIAL OR
          FINANCIAL, OR CONTAINS A TRADE SECRET oR Is PriviLEGrp"

                 The information for which Hughes seeks confidential treatment contains sensitive

commercial and financial information "which would customarily be guarded from

competitors.”12 Certain categories of confidential commercial and financial information appear

throughout the Contract, including without limitation (a) descriptions of technical work

programs; (b) disclosures of business plans; (c) financial terms and conditions; ‘and (d) pricing   *

and financial nonperformance penalties, all of which were negotfated between the parties.

                 The Contract is not a typical agreement for the purchase of an "off the shelf"

spacecraft. Rather, the Contract covers a state—of—the—art satellite network with design elements

never before built for the commercial satellite industry. It provides for the custom design and


° 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(2).
‘° HCG respectfully submits that the submission of a construction contract is not the only way
     that a commencement of construction milestone can be met, and that a demonstration of
     complying with that milestone could be made by showing factually that a spacecraft is under
     construction. See, e.g., Hughes Communications Galaxy, Application for Modification of
     Construction Permits and Licensesfor the Galaxy 4—R and Galaxy A—R Domestic Fixed—
     Satellites, 5 FCC Red 3423 (1990) (granting extension of launch milestone when it was
     apparent that applicant had actually begun construction).
" 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(3).
2 47 CFR. § 0.457.


DC_DOCSU433516.2{W2000]


construction of a satellite network with on—board processing and phased array antennas that will

operate in the nascent Ka band. Unlike most C or Ku band spacecraft, there is no preexisting

blueprint or model for such a network. The parties have extensively negotiatedthe terms of the

Contract, including the terms for the development and construction of the satellite network.

Thus, the Contract provides insight into the process of developing such a network, the design bf

the spacecraft, and the process of managing construction and placement into service.

Additionally, the six amendments to the Contract document the evolution of the network durifig

the system design and construction process.

                 This information is inextricably intertwined with the other provisi(;ns of the

Contract. Thus, the Contract should be treated in its entirety as a trade secret. ‘* In the context of

FOIA, a trade secret is defined as "as secret, commercially valuable plan, formula, process, or

device that is used for the making, preparing, compounding, or processing of trade commodities

and that cah be said to be the end product of either innovation or substantial effort."""

                Moreover, the Contract would not customarily be released to the public by

Hughes or its vendor, Boeing, and therefore is covered by Exemption 4 of FOIA when, as here, it

is submitted by Hughes to the Government.

4.   _ EXPLANATION OF THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE INFORMATION CONCERNS A SERVICE
        THAT Is SUBJECT To COMPETITION‘®
                The Contract concerns the design, development, and construction of a Ka band

system that will be used to provide broadband services throughout North America. That system ~

will compete with the broadband satellite services offered by other companies, as well as with



" Mead Data Cent. v. United States Dep‘t ofthe Air Force, 566 F.2d 242, 260 (D.C. Cir. 1977).
* Public Citizen Health Research Group v. FDA, 704 F.2d 1280, 1288 (D.C. Cir. 1983); see
 also, AT&T Information Systems, Inc. v. GSA, 627 F. Supp. 1396, 1401 n.9 (D.D.C. 1986).
5 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(4).

DC_DOCS\433516.2[W2000]


 the broadband offerings of cable systems and DSL operators. Thus, the Contract concerns a

 service that is subject to competition. More specifically, HCG was one of thirteen applicants

 that received a license for a GSO FSS Ka band satellite system in 1997 as part of the

 Commissioq’s first Ka band processing round. In August 2001, the Commission licensed eleven

 applicants to launch and operate GSO FSS Ka band systems in the second Ka band processing

 round. .The Commission has further licensed one NGSO FSS system to provide broadband

 services in the Ka band, and it has applications pending for five other Ka band NGSO FSS

 systems (including one of Hughes). Hughes will compete against many of the other first and

 second round GSO and NGSO Ka band licensees and applicants in building, launching and

operating Ka band satellite systems.

5.       EXPLANATION OF How DISCLOSURE OF THE INFORMATION COULD RESULT IN
         SUBSTANTIAL COMPETITIVE Harm‘"

                 Because the Contract outlines the process of developing a Ka band system, the

information for which Hughes seeks confidential treatment could be used by its competitors as

the basis for (i) negotiating a Ka band s:pacecrafi construction contract to meet their own liéense

milestones, many of which come due in less than seven months, (ii) developing a competing

satellite network, and/or (ii1) designing cémpetitive broadband service offerings (satellite or

terrestrial). Specifically, as noted above, because Ka band satellites and the related technology

are just beginning to enter the marketplace, the design of the Spaceway system is by no means

"standard." If Hughes‘ competitors obtained access to the information for which Hughes seeks

confidential treatment, they would unfairly benefit from the time and resources that Hughes has

expended in meeting the construction milestone under the Spaceway License. Hughes would be .

severely disadvantaged if its competitors were able to use Hughes‘ unique system design, if they


547 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(5).

 DC_DOCSU433516.2W2000]


were able to discern the process by which the Spaceway system has developed, or if they were

able to divine the detailed capabilities of the Spaceway network.

                 Further, Hughes‘s vendor, Boeing Satellite Systems, would be injured by the

disclosure of this Contract because it may seek to negotiate contracts with other companies for

the construction of other satellite systems. If the other companies had the specific pricing

information and commercial terms of the Spaceway Contract, they would have an unfair

advantage over Boeing in negotiating their own agreements.

                 Moreover, disclosure of the Contract could adversely affect Hughes® relationship

with other vendors. Vendors have a legitimate expectation that their confidential information

and trade secrets———pricing information, commercial conditions, design information and

processes———will not be made available to third parties who do not have a relationship with their

customer‘s program. Disclosure of the Contract in this case could harm Hughes in its future

negotiations with vendors.

6.      IDENTIFICATION OF Any MrasurgEs TAKEN By THE SUBMITTING PARTY TO PREVENT
        UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE"
                The Contract contains provisions requiring both parties to maintain confidentiality

of proprietary information, which includes the terms of the Cox}tract. The Contract includes

detailed procedures for use of proprietary information by representatives of both parties and

requires written consent of the other party for the release of any proprietary information. For

instance, each party has agreed to have its consultants agree in writing to be bound to protect the

proprietary information on the same conditions as set forth in the Contract, and such proprietary

information may not be disclosed to anyone who is a competitor of the other party. Upon

termination of the Contract, the parties agree to cease use of all proprietary information and


7 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(6).

DC_DOCS\433516.2{W2000]


return or destroy such proprietary information, including all copies of such information in their

possession.

7.      IDENTIFICATION OF WHETHER THE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AND
        THE EXTENT OF ANY PREVIOUS DISCLOSURE OF THE INFORMATION TO THIRD
        ParTIES"
                 The Contract submitted today has not previously been publicly disclosed, and |

Hughes is bound not to publicly disclose it by the terms of the Contract. Accordingly, Hughes

requestst that the Commission accord the information covered by this Request confidential

treatment under Sections 0.457 and 0.459 of the Commission‘s rules.

8.      JUSTIFICATION OF THE PERIOD DURING WHICH THE SUBMITTING PARTY ASSERTS
        THAT MATERIAL SHOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE For PuBLIC DiscLosurk"
                Hughes requests that the Contract be treated as confidential for a period of at least

10 years. The commitment of the parties to the Contract to preserve the proprietary nature of the

Contract is demonstrated by their perpetual obligation to maintainconfidentiality of the

proprietary information. Additionally, the design life of the spacecfafi is in excess of 10 years.

Therefore, Hughes‘ request for confidential treatment for a period of 10 years is reasonable.

9.      OTHER INFORMATION THAT HuUGHES BELIEVES MaAYy BE USEFUL IN ASSESSING
        WHETHER ITS REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIALITY SHOULD BE GrantTkp""

                The Commission has recognized that spacecraft construction agreements contain

competitively sensitive information, and need to be protected."‘ Consistent with this policy, the

Commission has adhered to a policy of not authorizing the disclosure of confidential information

on the mere chance that it might be helpful to a third party. Rather, the Commission insists on a




8 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(7).
® 47 C.FR. § 0.459(b)(8).
* 47 C.F.R. § 0.459(b)(9).
* See, eg., GE American Communications, DA 01—173 (released January 25, 2001).

                                                  8
DC_DOCS\433516.2fW2000]


showing that the information is a necessary link in a chain of evidence that will resolve an issue

before the Commission.""

                 For these reasons, Hughes respectfully requests that the Commission withhold

from public inspection, and accord confidential treatment to, the enclosed Contract.




                                               Respectfully submitted,

                                               Hughes Electronics Corporation
                                               Hughes Communications Galaxy, Inc.
                                               Hughes Network Systems, Inc.




                                                    ATHAM       ATKINS
                                                 555 Eleventh Street, N.W.
                                                 Suite 1000                  '
                                                 Washington, D.C. 20004—1304
                                                 Phone (202) 637—2200
                                                 Fax    (202) 637—2201

February 8, 2002




* Examination of Current Policy Concerning the Treatment of Cbnfidential Information
Submitted to the Commission, 13 FCC Red 24816, T8 (1998).

                                                9
DC_DOCS\433516.2fW2000]



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Document Modified: 2014-01-02 14:45:55

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