Integra Telecom said it secured $41 million in equity financing from shareholders including Bank of America Capital Investors, Boston Ventures, Navis Partners, Shaw Venture Partners. Investment will be used to expand Integra’s customer base in its regional markets and pushes its total financing in 2000 to $252 million. Integra CEO Dudley Slater said he was “gratified” by market response since CLECs have been struggling for financing. Integra provides telecom services to small and midsized businesses.

Entravision Communications said it closed on purchase of 2 New England TV stations: WUNI (Ch. 27, Univision) Worcester, Mass., from Jasas Corp. for $47.5 million and WHCT-TV (Ch. 18, Valuevision) Hartford from Astroline Communications for $18 million. WHCT-TV call letters will be changed to WUVN-TV and it will affiliate with Univision, Entravision said, giving group owner 18 Univision affiliated TV stations. WUNI Gen. Mgr. Gary Marder also was named to same post at WUVN-TV. In separate deal, Hubbard Bcstg. said it closed on $9.5 million purchase of KAAL (Ch.6, ABC) Austin, Minn., from Gocom Holdings.

Verizon Wireless said it added 1.2 million customers in quarter ended Dec. 31, increasing its year-end total to 27.5 million, with 16% subscriber growth rate -- 3.7 million new customers -- compared with 1999. Verizon Wireless said growth had been fueled in part by surge in contract customers, which represented more than 99% of new subscribers in 4th quarter, compared with 60% year earlier. Customer turnover in quarter remained unchanged from year ago at 2.6%. Carrier also said more than half of its customers now use digital service and more than 750,000 are using its wireless data offerings.

NorthPoint and Verizon are arguing over legal venue in their merger breakdown suits. Verizon’s motion for stay to halt suit brought in Cal. court, heard Jan. 3, was countered by NorthPoint’s motion for stay to keep proceedings out of Del., where Verizon began proceeding. NorthPoint said it would be “hardship” to litigate in Del., its counsel said, but Verizon said Del. was appropriate. Hearing on NorthPoint’s motion is scheduled Jan.17.

FCC unanimously adopted notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that eyes frequencies, including those now occupied by military users, for 3rd-generation and other advanced wireless services. Commission also denied petition by Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA) seeking additional spectrum for mobile satellite services (MSS), move that Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) licensees opposed (CD Aug 30 p1). FCC adopted notice Dec. 29, meeting White House’s year-end deadline for approving item, although text hadn’t been released by our deadline.

Boeing Space Systems (BSS) received $160 million contract potentially worth $1.3 billion to develop high-capacity communication system for U.S. Air Force and Army by 2005, company said Thurs. Harris Corp., Logicon and ITT Industries are working with Boeing on project. Fixed-price agreement calls for first satellite to be launched in 2004 at cost of $160.3 million. If Pentagon exercises its options for 5 more satellites, business could be worth $1.3 billion. Boeing is using its new 702 model satellite bus and associated spacecraft and payload equipment. Team of technicians is expected to provide associated control equipment for both payload and spacecraft.

NCTA submitted 2nd brief to U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to convince high court to review appellate court ruling that struck down FCC’s authority over pole attachment rates for cable lines carrying Internet service. In 10-page reply brief filed Jan. 2 in Gulf Power case, NCTA argued that decision by 11th U.S. Appeals Court, Atlanta, “improperly rejected the FCC’s reasonable construction of Section 224” of Telecom Act and wrongfully concluded that “Congress intended to repeal the regulatory authority that the FCC admittedly possessed over pole attachments regardless of the type of service provided over the equipment attached to the poles.” NCTA also contended that “this case squarely presents an issue of national importance that was improperly decided” by lower court. It said utilities’ claims that “they are constitutionally entitled to recover so-called monopoly ‘market rates’ for providing access to essential bottleneck facilities is contrary to settled law and, if accepted, would render all rate regulation of monopoly enterprises unconstitutional.” Cable operators charged that utilities had been increasing pole attachment rates substantially since 11th Circuit ruling last spring. But utilities contended that they were entitled to get what market would bear.

Coalition of major broadcasters, cable networks, movie studios, record companies, sports leagues and other content owners lobbied FCC for strong copy protection technology for advanced digital cable set-top boxes. In joint 4-page letter to FCC Chmn. Kennard Thurs., ABC, BMI, CBS, ESPN, Fox, Minor League Baseball, MPAA, NBC and RIAA argued that “cable interface devices must include the capability to protect certain high-value content against unauthorized copy and Internet retransmission” because of “the economics of producing and distributing high-value programming.” Responding to letter by House Telecom Subcommittee member Boucher (D-Va.) to Kennard last month, group also contended that advanced digital set-tops must be capable of providing some level of content protection “so consumers that purchase such devices will be able to receive the widest variety of program choices, including high-value programs that may be made available only if content protections are in place.” It said “alternative is to introduce devices in the marketplace that cannot provide content protection, and therefore cannot receive certain types of high-value programming.” Content owners also disputed Boucher’s contention that “freely broadcast programming should remain freely copyable,” contending that local broadcasters would be relegated to “the position of ‘low-value’ content distributors.” They questioned whether there was any public interest “in allowing consumers to make multiple copies of broadcast programming, or to retransmit broadcast programs over the Internet.”

Qualcomm signed royalty-bearing CDMA infrastructure equipment license agreement with GBase Communications, terms not disclosed. Agreement licenses certain Qualcomm patents and agreements to GBase to develop and manufacture wireless infrastructure equipment for in-building or campus network applications. Pact covers cdmaOne, cdma2000, cdma2000 1xEV.

TMI Communications and EMS Technologies unveiled packet data terminal for U.S. transportation industry Jan. 3 after FCC approved modification in TMI’s license that allowed them to operate EMS PDT-100 packet data terminal in U.S. exclusively on TMI mobile satellite network. Firm said technology gives truck fleets tracking and messaging capabilities, doesn’t interfere with emergency communications services, reduces costs.