The FCC on Wednesday may have signaled interest in acting on other mobile...
The FCC on Wednesday may have signaled interest in acting on other mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum. A proposed rulemaking released Wednesday to consider allowing for terrestrial services in the S-band said it plans to consider action for other MSS…
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band at a later date. The agency’s proposal said: “Due to the unique characteristics of each band, we intend to address the Commission’s Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) rules for Big LEO and L-band MSS separately.” The agency’s language on the other MSS bands may be meant to explain why the FCC focused only on the 2 GHz band when a previous notice of inquiry looked at all MSS spectrum, said an industry executive, and may not signal imminent plans for rules changes within the spectrum. Globalstar said it supported the idea of looking at the other bands. “As Globalstar completes the launch and deployment of its second-generation constellation, we look forward to participating in that future proceeding and anticipate receiving similar flexibility to offer terrestrial services within the Big LEO band,” said Barbee Ponder, general counsel at Globalstar. L-band licensee Inmarsat said the large number of current MSS users in its spectrum is why the agency didn’t take it up as part of the S-band NPRM. “I assume the FCC is not addressing the L-band in this proceeding because they are aware that it is currently heavily utilized by MSS users who rely on the band for critical services,” said Inmarsat Vice President-Government Affairs Diane Cornell. LightSquared didn’t comment.