Ind. Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) adopted first comprehensive update of service quality rules in 30 years. New rules are intended to take effect in May, pending legal review by state attorney gen. Among other changes, new rules covering incumbents and CLECs alike would require faster carrier responses to customer service complaints, toughen standards for outage restorations, require performance to be monitored at wire center level rather than by statewide averages. IURC said it began work on quality rule rewrite in late 1999, before last summer’s flood of service complaints against Ameritech.

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.

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.

Brian Mulligan, ex-Seagram, appointed chmn., Fox TV… James Hedges promoted to senior vp-CFO, ABC TV Network; Jeff Frost moves up to vp-legal affairs, ABC Entertainment & Touchtone TV… Christopher Bogart promoted to pres.-CEO, Time Warner Cable Ventures… Karen Heisler, ex-Comcast, named corporate vp-human resources, Pegasus Communications… Stacey Nachtaler, ex-i- traffic, appointed vp-ad sales mktg., CNBC… Changes at Paxson: Jennifer Getson promoted to dir.-sales research & audience analysis; Joe Siegel advanced to creative-dir., East Coast… Douglas Hanson, chmn.-CEO, Internet Commerce & Communications, becomes chmn., CompTel board… Ned Sauthoff, head of Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, becomes pres. of Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers-USA… Named to Navic Networks board: Robert Davis, Terra Lycos, and Tony Werner, Aurora Networks… Winston Maxwell, ex-Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, named partner- communications group, Paris office of Hogan & Hartson.

Arianespace announced twice-delayed launch of Turksat 2A/Eurasiasat 1 on Flight 137 was rescheduled for Jan. 8 in 5:18 p.m.-7:26 p.m. ET window, after authorizing resumption of launch preparations Wed. Arianespace delayed 2nd launch when Alcatel Space, primary contractor for satellite payload, requested verifications Dec. 11 after Arianespace ran its own set for Dec. 11 rescheduling.

Act Against Violence, to steer children away from acts of aggression and violence at young age, is new broadcast campaign backed by Ad Council, National Assn. for the Education of Young Children and American Psychological Assn. Sponsors said goal was to “change peoples’ behaviors and therefore the messages they send to children.” Created by volunteer agency Flashpoint Advertising, campaign includes radio and TV PSAs -- 1-877-ACT-WISE or Web site www.actagainstviolence.org.

Me. PUC opened docket to consider replacing current nonoptional extended local calling plans with optional programs customers can select. Currently, extended local calling surcharges become mandatory if majority of local customers want expansion and PUC approves. PUC said Tues. it was considering replacing current system with either selective extended calling, where customer may add one or more distant exchanges to local area for flat monthly fee per exchange or contiguous extended calling, where customer can add groups of contiguous distant exchanges for flat monthly fees. PUC will hold Jan. 31 workshop with industry to address implementation issues such as intercarrier compensation, specific rates and terms for customers, whether extended calling should be time-unlimited.

VoiceStream is partnering with RealNames to provide keyword wireless Web searching for Web-enabled cellphones. For example, typing in Zagat instead of full URL would take user directly to Web site. New Internet address system uses network of routers and proprietary “in-memory” databases created by RealNames that basically is “layered” over Internet, said Chief Technical Officer Nico Popp. In Nov., RealNames partnered with Phone.com, mobile internet software maker, by putting RealNames Keyword Navigation System on Phone.com’s UP.Link server. RealNames key word system is multilingual -- Japanese Kangi, for instance can be entered into system, Popp said.

MPAA filed several major objections to CableLabs’ full final draft of its anticopying technology license for advanced digital cable set-top boxes, signaling that fight over controversial encryption technology wasn’t over (CD Dec 29 p1). In comments submitted to FCC late last month, MPAA said it was “concerned with a number” of provisions in POD Host Interface License Agreement (PHILA) and was “uncertain as to how some of these and other provisions will work in practice.” Group said its concerns included technology’s: (1) “Apparent ineffective protection against unauthorized Internet retransmission of all content, including broadcast.” (2) “Unprotected high-resolution output of most categories of content from those devices.” (3) “Copying and permanent storage in those devices of all content, including high- value content, which individual copyright owners and cable operators may have voluntarily negotiated to treat as ‘copy never.'” To ease such concerns, MPAA said “the only alternative” for cable operators would be to “turn off the OpenCable box” and prevent DTV programming from reaching consumers. It said such result “would have a negative effect on consumer expectations, particularly if they were not given adequate notice from equipment manufacturers.” MPAA said it would continue to work through those and other issues with CableLabs and 5C companies “in a prompt, good-faith and constructive manner.”