The FCC proposal to permit Globalstar to deploy...
The FCC proposal to permit Globalstar to deploy terrestrial mobile broadband service under Part 25 rules is better than the company’s initial request of adhering to Part 27 rules, Globalstar executives said Wednesday during a teleconference. The FCC’s proposed rules…
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provide substantially everything that Globalstar requested in its petition for terrestrial relief, said Jay Monroe, Globalstar CEO. The commission released the NPRM last week (CD Nov 5 p5). The FCC didn’t propose a separate terrestrial license under Part 27 as Globalstar requested, and as the FCC adopted for Dish Network when it sought authority for a terrestrial service (CD Dec 13 p8), said Barbee Ponder, Globalstar’s general counsel. The proposed rules “all but eliminate the gating criteria that would have otherwise been applicable to our provision of low-power mobile broadband services,” Ponder said. Under Part 27, Globalstar would have been required to adhere to additional buildout requirements, he said. The proposed rules recognize that under Part 25, the satellite company has already met any buildout requirements with its $1 billion investment in a new constellation, Ponder said. The technical rules, including power and out-of-band-emissions limits proposed by the FCC, are just as Globalstar requested, he said: “We see no need to seek modifications to them during the proceeding.” The regulatory path under Part 25 “gives us tremendous flexibility,” Monroe said. The entire comment period will last 105 days from publication in the Federal Register. The executives attributed the length of time to the technical analysis requested in the NPRM, the upcoming holiday season and the weeks leading up to the seating of Chairman Tom Wheeler.