Satellite interests are backing the FCC NPRM proposing to let earth stations in motion (ESIM) communicate with non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites operating in the fixed satellite service -- with caveats. EchoStar/Hughes in docket 18-315 comments posted Monday said ESIM operations in Ku- and Ka-bands on a secondary basis should be paired with interference protections of geostationary orbit (GSO) FSS operations via equivalent power-flux density limits and control of ESIM terminals by a network control center that can disable operations during harmful interference to GSO. It said the FCC should require ending or reducing ESIM emissions to prevent harmful interference. Kymeta said existing licensees holding blanket authority for ESIMs to communicate with GSO satellite systems should be allowed to file streamlined modification applications to add blanket authority to communicate with non-geostationary satellite systems in the relevant Ku- or Ka-band. The National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Radio Frequencies said approvals of ESIM operations should be paired with protections for radio astronomy service in adjacent or overlapping bands. Replies are due March 13. Commissioners approved the NPRM in November (see 1811150028).
Matt Daneman
Matt Daneman, Senior Editor, covers pay TV, cable broadband, satellite, and video issues and the Federal Communications Commission for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications in 2015 after more than 15 years at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, where he covered business among other issues. He also was a correspondent for USA Today. You can follow Daneman on Twitter: @mdaneman
Ditching the requirement to notify VoIP users it won't work without power and eliminating supposedly outdated reporting requirements were among suggestions by telecoms, the cable industry and others for the FCC's 2018 biennial review of telecom regulations. Comments in seven dockets, which had been due Jan. 17 (see 1812180002), were posted Monday due to an extension from the partial federal shutdown.
Clearing C-band through a mix of sale of spectrum by satellite operators and an overlay auction of terrestrial mobile licenses is meeting some skepticism. Spectrum and satellite consultant Tim Farrar blogged Saturday that no side in the band-clearing debate is seemingly interested in compromise, though the sale-overlay auction mix is obvious. Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at New America, said even if the idea were practical, it would "be just another fig leaf [justifying] an unnecessary and unjustifiable windfall" for satellite operators.
The FCC proceeding on updating orbital debris rules could involve whether the agency should be undertaking it, experts told us. Some FCC proposals could get notable commercial industry pushback. Commissioner Brendan Carr raised authority questions when the NPRM was adopted in November (see 1811150028). The item hasn't appeared in the Federal Register. Asked when it expects publication, the FCC didn't comment.
The last of Iridium's original satellite constellation satellites were deactivated Tuesday, simultaneous with its 65th and 66th Next constellation satellites being activated and completing the company's $3 billion replacement of that first-generation constellation, CEO Matt Desch told reporters in Washington Wednesday. "I can't believe we are done," said Chief Financial Officer Tom Fitzpatrick. The final Next launch was in January (see 1901110024). Iridium built 81 Next satellites, with 66 now in operation, nine spares in orbit and another six spares on the ground, Desch said. Since there haven't been any Next failures, that constellation should have a lifespan of at least 15 years, with the company not having to start contemplating replacing Next satellites for at least a decade, Desch said. Fitzpatrick said instead of $435 million annually in capital spending, Iridium anticipates spending $35 million yearly for the next decade on maintenance. Desch said 47 satellites from its original constellation have de-orbited, five others are in the process and the remaining 13 will de-orbit over the next couple of months.
The C-Band Alliance and a panel of critics of its midband clearing plan clashed on efficacy of a government-run spectrum auction and whether the FCC has ever allowed similar private spectrum sales, at New America event Tuesday. It was the "most unbalanced panel in the history of panels,” said CBA Head-Advocacy and Government Relations Preston Padden.
Viacom has cut back the past couple of years on its licensing of content to subscription VOD services, amassing a big library with which to go direct to consumer with its $340 million Pluto TV acquisition (see 1901230029), Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said in a call Tuesday with analysts. He said Pluto will be "a key driver for transforming our company," and the deal should close in March. He said Pluto provides access to more than 12 million monthly users and is a marketing engine for Viacom's own SVOD products like Nick Hits. For Q1 ended Dec. 31, revenue of $3.09 billion was little changed from the year-ago quarter as operating income fell 16 percent to $602 million. Viacom expects single-digit percentage revenue growth the rest of the fiscal year.
Experts doubt the partial federal shutdown and looming threat of another will mean more worker turnover in coming months at the FCC and other agencies. That's especially among professionals ranks such as engineers and lawyers. Others are less sure.
5G's inefficiency as a fixed mobile broadband business, due to capital costs to get close to the home, means it's not a big competitive worry, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge said during a Q4 call Thursday. "We're going to 10G," he said, citing cable industry plans for 10 gigabit networks (see 1901070048). That would provide better broadband at lower cost, and skyrocketing data consumption should help drive demand, he said. Charter ended 2018 with its national footprint nearly all digital and its 1 GB service available throughout. It said Q4 revenue was $11.2 billion, up 5.9 percent year over year. It ended 2018 with 16.1 million residential video customers, down 1.8 percent; 23.6 million broadband customers, up 4.9 percent; and 10.1 million voice customers, down 2.8 percent. Rutledge said Charter is embracing the video anywhere marketplace but bundled video remains its primary service. Capital expenditures for 2018 were $9.1 billion, and Rutledge said lower capital spending this year -- an estimated $7 billion -- comes as it increasingly employs IP-based and cloud-based services. Analyst Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson called that $7 billion lower than expected to an "eye-popping" degree. New Street Research's Jonathan Chaplin said the decline in capex is much faster than expected. He said the broadband subscriber growth puts the company "on a strong path for faster growth in 2019." The stock closed at $331.05, up 14 percent.
Lack of fiber connectivity everywhere, such as rural areas and poorer urban areas, reflects U.S. policy failure, said Susan Crawford, Harvard Law professor, Wednesday at a reading from her book Fiber: The Coming Tech Revolution -- and Why America Might Miss It, released in January. South Korea -- with its ubiquitous high-speed connectivity -- is "the future," she said. The U.S. "took a wrong turn" in 2004 when it assumed a fiber-wireline battle would lead to competitive markets, but instead phone companies have focused on wireless, and cable ISPs now dominate a stagnant market with little competition. She said broadband connectivity is following the same pattern electrification did last century, when a few companies dominated the market and largely bypassed rural and poorer residential areas until major efforts by the Franklin Roosevelt administration. She said the interest by hundreds of communities -- often with Republican mayors -- and cooperatives in municipal fiber networks shows it's not partisan. She hopes pressure from cities eventually will "embarrass" federal policymakers. She said federal tax policies are needed to make capital cheaper for such co-ops and startup network providers. Former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said a policy problem is the billions spent annually subsidizing carriers' operating expenses instead of paying for fiber network buildouts in specific areas. Crawford said a separate connectivity concern is China's plan to have 80 percent of its homes wired with fiber, and to extend that to developing countries, bringing an "essentially a Chinese internet." She said 5G almost surely isn't the route to closing the connectivity divide because it won't increase coverage but instead likely lead to markets being divided up, each with a single operator dominating.