No Quick FCC Action Seen on Amazon's Kuiper, Facing Opposition
Amazon's proposed Kuiper satellite mega constellation (see 1904040034) is facing pushback from satellite operators that took part in the 2017 non-geostationary orbit processing round, with arguments that it be considered part of a new non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) processing round. The FCC is considered unlikely to act quickly on Kuiper's application. Satellite experts told us other U.S. mega constellation applications, such as by tech companies, aren't likely in the wings.
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Amazon looks "forward to continued engagement with the FCC regarding our application." The company's "focused on innovating on behalf of our customers," it emailed us Wednesday. "We are committed to realizing our vision for Project Kuiper.”
"There's no big rush" for the agency to act, such as if Amazon were saying Kuiper's on a tight deadline for launches, said satellite consultant Tim Farrar. The FCC is likely to see how the NGSO environment shakes out in coming months, since there's likely some proposed constellations that fall by the wayside, he said.
Satellite Industry Association President Tom Stroup doesn't anticipate other NGSO constellation plans from U.S. operators. While such plans are often kept under wraps, the complexity of such a network means it's unlikely many would take such an approach, he said. That's especially as the market gets more competitive, with several NGSO operators moving on plans or launching their first satellites. Stroup said low earth orbit mega-constellation announcements from one or more Chinese companies are more likely. Farrar said there's more buzz about a Chinese or Russian mega constellation than one from a U.S. tech company.
Amazon's ignoring or misreading FCC precedent when it argues agency rules make processing rounds moot for the frequencies it wants to share and it should have the same coordination rights and spectrum sharing abilities as the processing round participants, Telesat said this week in a petition to dismiss or hold in abeyance the Kuiper application. It said preconditions in revisiting sharing rules -- such as some systems being fully deployed and having had experience in sharing implementation -- haven't come to pass. So extending sharing rights to new applicants like Amazon would be premature until the 2017 participants develop and implement their systems, Telesat said.
A new processing round would give the FCC a better record for issues that NGSO systems are raising, such as how to address interference from new satellites wanting to use the same bands authorized for systems that took place in the previous NGSO processing round, SpaceX said. It repeated arguments for Kuiper to be the trigger of a new processing round (see 1907160002). The company said if it files an application for notably more satellites, it expects those would be considered in a new processing round along with other systems wanting to operate in the same bands, such as Kuiper and OneWeb's proposal to boost the size of its proposed constellation (see 1803200002).
Approval would treat Kuiper "as a de facto First Round applicant" even as it hurts the NGSO interference environment and "undercuts the reasonable investment expectations" of first round licensees and applicants, said OneWeb. It said the Kuiper application raises orbital debris questions that need answering. Amazon's not showing how it will prevent causing interference, and Theia said it might have to modify its operations to accommodate Kuiper. Iridium said the company should be required to protect applicants licensed in the previous processing round. It said Amazon hasn't shown why it deserves a waiver allowing it to operate its fixed satellite service system in spectrum reserved for mobile satellite service NGSOs.
Backing Amazon were the Video Game Bar Association and the eSports Bar Association. They said the spectrum sharing Amazon proposes would help create a competitive market in satellite broadband.