Space What If--firmer ground

[Neopeius]

What if Kennedy decides not to internationalize space and lets AT&T have unrestricted access to orbit? Do they get a monopoly? Does it last until the 80s and then get broken up with the rest of the Bells?

 

[sojourner]

OK, you got me. How did Kennedy (John F. I presume?) "internationalize" space? Did the U. S. some how have a way of preventing other nations from attempting to launch things into orbit?

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

What if Kennedy decides not to internationalize space and lets AT&T have unrestricted access to orbit? Do they get a monopoly? Does it last until the 80s and then get broken up with the rest of the Bells?

I don't understand your question

 

[JustAFriend]

What if Alexander Graham Bell doesn't invent the telephone but invents the smellophone and you have to fart the number??

Please check the doseage on your medication.... sometimes those directions on the bottle a little hard to read.

 

[Neopeius]

OK, you got me. How did Kennedy (John F. I presume?) "internationalize" space? Did the U. S. some how have a way of preventing other nations from attempting to launch things into orbit?

Sorry, I should have given more background. The 1961 Communications Satellite Law was designed to preemptively curtail AT&T's activities in space. As a result, American comsats were launched under the public auspices of Intelsat with shares owned by 11 cooperating countries. Intelsat didn't go private until a few years ago.

So, what if Kennedy had decided to let capitalism rule in orbit? Instead of two experimental Telstars, AT&T develops a whole constellation. Can RCA and Hughes compete?

Is this too esoteric for this forum?

 

[yellowdingo]

OK, you got me. How did Kennedy (John F. I presume?) "internationalize" space? Did the U. S. some how have a way of preventing other nations from attempting to launch things into orbit?

Sorry, I should have given more background. The 1961 Communications Satellite Law was designed to preemptively curtail AT&T's activities in space. As a result, American comsats were launched under the public auspices of Intelsat with shares owned by 11 cooperating countries. Intelsat didn't go private until a few years ago.

So, what if Kennedy had decided to let capitalism rule in orbit? Instead of two experimental Telstars, AT&T develops a whole constellation. Can RCA and Hughes compete?

Is this too esoteric for this forum?

AT&T has for a verylong time been a front for ECHELON/NSA's International Communications Surveilance activities. A Global "Communication" network of AT&T Satellites amounts to Global Surveillance.
This would Guarantee a new cold war with threats of Nuclear Reprisals for putting US Comsats over the Soviet Union and China. Just as the USA threatened a Nuclear Strike over those Nukes being shipped to Cuba (who already had smaller nukes capable of reaching the USA deployed a year earlier), The Soviets would begin shooting down those Communications sattelites in a Space War. WW3: THE WAR FOR SPACE.