FCC Grants MSS Operators More Flexibility
The FCC loosened rules governing Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATC) of mobile satellite service (MSS) systems Thurs., taking reaffirmation of its initial 2003 decision a step further than some in the industry had anticipated. The reconsideration changed L-band interface rules to allow operators more flexibility to design and realize systems according to market needs, and denied requests to revisit its decision not to assign ATC authority by auction.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
Under the policies in place, MSS operators must furnish substantial, commercially available and sustainable MSS service over their whole geographic coverage areas, and must provide fully integrated MSS/ATC. The new order will clarify rules that allow preoperational MSS licensees that meet the gating criteria to simultaneously begin MSS and ATC services on deployment of their spacecraft. “Interbureau collaboration and sound engineering made today’s technical decisions possible,” International Bureau (IB) Chief Donald Abelson told us: “The retooled rules ultimately will ensure that U.S. consumers can enjoy high quality, interoperable, nationwide communications.”
The decision doesn’t require that a percentage of MSS/ATC capacity be reserved for MSS only, “because there is no practical way to arrive at a percentage without sacrificing spectrum efficiency and customer service,” IB attorney Sean O'More said. The action didn’t require MSS/ATC user terminals, such as handsets, to attempt to contact the satellite first in all cases “because this would waste time, capacity and battery power,” he said. Instead, the 2nd order is expected to allow the handsets to communicate through whichever system component offers the best signal.
The IB faced a unique situation: Needing to make a decision about interference limits and having received credible, contrary engineering studies from competitors Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Inmarsat, a spokeswoman said. In the end, in-house engineers’ tests showed the tolerance of the terminals was better than previously assumed.
The Commission didn’t, however, test all of Inmarsat’s terminals, the company said. Engineers neglected to examine the prototype of the new regional Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN); nor did they test Inmarsat’s aeronautical terminals for ATC interference. “They've changed the rules based on some measurement results [but] we have not seen those results and we don’t know yet if the Commission’s gotten its engineering right,” an Inmarsat official said. The Commission also decided to impose broad limits on the amount of interference ATC may cause to other systems in the L-band rather than dictating specific standards on the number and power of ATC base stations and handsets. Details of the Commission’s reconsideration will be discussed in an order whose release is expected the next few weeks.
In the weeks leading up to the decision Inmarsat and Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) worked feverishly to sway the vote their ways (CD Jan 25 p2). MSV CEO Alexander Good said he was “thrilled” by the Commission’s action: “This architecture holds great promise for all Americans, but offers particular benefits to residents of rural areas and those federal, state and local agencies that are charged with protecting public health, safety and security.”
MSV was granted authorization by the IB to start developing the ATC technology in 2003, and competitor Inmarsat and its allies repeatedly questioned whether harmful interference from ATC would be an issue. The Commission’s initial stipulation that ATC may only be operated as a secondary service didn’t seem up for reconsideration, the Inmarsat official noted: “If they adhere to that principle, then there should not be any problems for MSS.” Inmarsat wouldn’t comment on whether it would consider pursuing ATC for its customers, but said the company isn’t worried about maintaining its competitive edge in MSS. At the moment, Inmarsat’s intensely focused on BGAN. Its first spacecraft to support the service is scheduled for liftoff on March 10. Its 2nd satellite, which will serve the U.S., is expected to be sent into orbit several months later.