Tom, any failure to keep the Board more closely apprised of the status (and the details) of this really falls to me, since I have been on the front line here with the Keelen folks on a daily basis. I am sorry if you or other Board members felt out of the loop; it was certainly not my intention to hold anything back at all.
But honestly, until Monday, I thought that we had a chance, with Redl and Walden firmly in our corner, to have the heavy hand of Walden push former staffer Roger Sherman (who we had been told was by far the most sensitive FCC staff person to the wishes of Walden's subcommittee) into doing the right thing, despite the subversive efforts of Cross and Stone, whose responses were predictable. It didn't happen, but Redl thought it would as well.
And also, frankly, there was very little to tell until Monday. I thought the Board was pretty clear about what the strategy was. That strategy has never changed in the year since we started negotiating with Redl. Some of the tactics did (and those changes were reported to the EC), but the strategy didn't. I am disappointed that Redl didn't push this more actively, and sooner, with Sherman. But Sherman offered Redl good and sufficient justification for putting other issues ahead of this and we couldn't very well puppeteer Redl at all. We don't drive his bus and we never will. But he is supportive and so is Walden and we are closer to the goal than we have ever been before. I think we should just stay the course.
73, Chris W3KD