SkyREPORT 12/17/02
According to reports, WildBlue, the struggling
Ka-Band satellite company, may receive almost
$200 million from a group headed by John
Malone's Liberty Media.

In addition to Liberty, the National Rural
Telecommunications Cooperative is rumored
to be part of the group, the Rocky Mountain
News reported last week. An announcement on
WildBlue is expected this week, the newspaper
said.

Officials from NRTC, which has been aggressively
pushing for a satellite broadband solution
to serve its rural customers, wouldn't
comment on the report.

Any new funding for WildBlue, which wants to
deliver broadband via satellite services, would
be a big step for the struggling company. The
Rocky Mountain News said the money would provide
enough financing to launch WildBlue's first
satellite, which could take place in 2004.

Previously, Liberty invested $61 million for
an 16 percent share of WildBlue. Liberty
also has a stake in Astrolink, another
Ka-Band licensee.