[Satellite Today 02-11-09] Austar, the Australian satellite pay-TV operator, is ready to support relief efforts in Australia after fires tore through parts of the country. The operator, said Feb. 10, that it will provide on-the-ground and financial support to communities impacted by the fires.
    Tens of thousands of Austar subscribers are in affected areas in Victoria and Queensland, and the company has initiated a Natural Disaster Relief plan to help these customers cope. Additionally, Austar is running calls for support for the Australian Red Cross across its platform, appealing to its more than 700,000 subscribers.
    Austar CEO, John Porter, commented, “Regional Australia has entered 2009 with inconceivable suffering. Fires have devastated bushland Victoria, while floods have isolated much of regional Queensland. Australian Red Cross relief centres in these two areas are being overwhelmed, and Austar has donated TVs and the Austar service to 30 of these centres, as well as a cash donation to the Australian Red Cross.”