The upper end of the estimated replacement C-band satellite costs in the preliminary cost catalog reflects "reasonable and appropriate" variables, Boeing said in an FCC docket 18-122 posting Friday. A significantly accelerated build and launch timeline requires "mission-specific design accommodations, inventory management, factory capacity balancing, and innovative partnerships with key suppliers," all of which comes with a price tag, it said. Boeing opposed prohibiting hybrid satellite use by limiting reimbursements to single-purpose satellites operating solely with a C-band payload and within the continental U.S. Intelsat said it "emphatically" agrees with SES (see 2005220030) that the price catalog needs to be finalized posthaste because it's "a lynchpin" for calculating the scope of work needed. Claro said it's electing for accelerated C-band relocation.
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
C-band satellite operators and wireless interests joined in opposition to small satellite operators' ask for a stay of the FCC's C-band order while they challenge it in U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (see 2005180036), according to docket 18-122 postings Thursday. A delay to the C-band repurposing for terrestrial 5G deployments counters FCC goals and the public interest in getting the spectrum to new uses, Intelsat said. CTIA said the SSOs haven't shown irreparable injury absent a stay or that their alleged losses couldn't be remediated. The SSOs also ignore "the massive harm that a stay would cause to CTIA members and other prospective bidders (who have invested significant time and resources to prepare for the auction) and American consumers," it said. The SSOs forfeited their right to challenge the proposed modifications of their licenses by filing what they called "a protest" that lacked the specific allegations of fact and affidavits it needs, Verizon said. Also filing against the SSO stay were SES, Telesat and Eutelsat. Backing SSOs ABS Global, Hispasat and Empresa is PSSI Global Services. PSSI said it and the SSOs will prevail in their opposition to the order based on the "substantial and irreparable" harms it's already causing, and the FCC didn't give adequate notice of the fundamental changes to their licenses. As of Thursday early evening, the SSOs hadn't filed suit with the D.C. Circuit. Eutelsat said it also is opting for accelerated relocation of its C-band operations, as have multiple other C-band operators (see 2005260037).
Ligado’s L-band license modification OK should have gone through a spectrum reallocation notice-and-comment process, with the final decision coming in an open commission meeting, some said in the petitions for reconsideration this week in docket 11-109. Others said any problems the FCC had with analyses raising red flags about possible interference should have been brought up before the perfunctory dismissal of them. The commission hasn't resolved concerns about GPS interference.
Wireless and satellite interests cited concerns about the FCC C-band order, in docket 18-122 petitions for reconsideration posted Wednesday. Change the technical specifications of telemetry, tracking and command filters because they aren't feasible, or give Intelsat's two remote TT&C/gateway sites protected status to use the entire band, the company petitioned. It said out-of-band protection requirements won't adequately protect all earth stations from post-transition interference and need revision, or at least make clear that as long as Intelsat has done everything it can, it won't be held responsible for terrestrial operations' interference. It urged moving of the December 2021 TT&C/gateway site consolidation deadline to 2023 because an 18-month consolidation window is "simply is not achievable given the many time- and resource-intensive activities." Speaking with FCC staffers, Intelsat officials cited filter and TT&C site concerns and said reimbursements shouldn't be limited to satellites operating solely with a C-band payload, since its satellites are typically configured with multiple spectrum payloads and it was going to seek reimbursement for only the C-band payload costs. The company voiced concerns about cable operators being able to select the compression equipment to be installed at their earth stations, when it should be tied to the satellite transponder. Also posted was Intelsat's accelerated relocation election the company announced Tuesday (see 2005260037). The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization's recon petition cited aspects of the C-band order that could hurt international satellite services by limiting international gateway services in the lower portion of the band to four TT&C sites, and only on a secondary basis. It said design and placement of replacement Intelsat satellites could hurt international satellite services customers outside the U.S. C-band operator Eutelsat had petitioned for recon. Charter asked the FCC to tweak the order to require C band flexible use licensees to make TDD synchronization available to citizens broadband radio service (see 2005220042). “Without such synchronization, C-Band base stations will interfere with, and significantly impede, the ability of CBRS base stations to communicate with CBRS user equipment operating in both the Priority Access License and General Authorized Access spectrum blocks,” Charter said. Aviation interests asked to change the order to protect radio altimeters using 3700-3980 MHz (see 2002200030). "‘No action’ regarding the protection of radio altimeters and seemingly requiring the aviation community to ‘protect thyself’ from harmful interference was not supported by the evidence and sharply contrasts with other actions taken in this very proceeding,” the groups said. The Aerospace Industries Association, Airbus, Aviation Spectrum Resources, Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute, Air Line Pilots Association and Garmin were among signers.
Non-geostationary orbit constellation operators put proposals for more than 80,000 satellites before the FCC International Bureau, in NGSO fixed satellite service processing round applications submitted Tuesday (see 2003240059). It was driven by OneWeb, Kuiper and New Spectrum Satellite applications outside past rounds. The vast bulk of the proposed additional satellite traffic came from SpaceX and OneWeb. Numerous applications noted satellite's role in closing the digital divide.
Intelsat, SES and Telesat committed to clear the C band on the FCC's incentivized accelerated timeline days before the deadline. SES said it's also filing a petition for review and notice of appeal in federal court to protect itself if the accelerated payments regime falls through. Other C-band satellite operators are expected to do likewise. The elections deadline is Friday.
Cable, state and consumer officials say legal fights in Maine and New Jersey with cable operators challenging state prorating laws aren't likely to be replicated elsewhere because momentum is unlikely for other statehouses to adopt such rules and many states lack cable authority. Not offering pro rata refunds is a relatively new cable practice, and Maine and New Jersey losing their fights with Charter and Altice, respectively, could be "a green light" for other cable operators to follow suit, said Consumers Union (CU) Senior Policy Counsel Jon Schwantes.
Many small and mid-sized broadband and voice providers quickly signed up for the Keep Americans Connected pledge extension (see 2005140063). Now, some said in interviews, expenses associated with KAC could start to become serious if it goes beyond its current June 30 span. Some don't expect the FCC pledge to get another extension.
Several petitions for reconsideration of the FCC's Ligado L-band plan approval were filed, as expected, (see 2004200039). The company's backers told us the likely audience is Capitol Hill, with the aim of trying to generate interest in a legislative solution. Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D., said in an interview he's siding with the FCC amid continued headwinds from the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and some other lawmakers (see 2005080043).
Other non-voice non-geostationary operators are urging the FCC to reject Swarm's petition for U.S. market access for its NVNG mobile satellite services in the 400 MHz band, saying it didn't justify getting a waiver, after missing by months the deadline for consideration in the 400 MHz band processing round. In an International Bureau petition to defer Monday, Myriota said Swarm hasn't established it can fully protect systems authorized as part of the NVNG UHF processing round. Hiber in a petition to defer or dismiss said waiving the cut-off deadline would cause regulatory and business uncertainty. Kineis said the NVNG processing round public notice effectively rejected waivers Hiber and Myriota sought on grounds similar to Swarm's request, and reopening the round now and accepting a petition months later would prejudice the rights of parties that acted in reliance on that PN. Swarm outside counsel didn't comment Tuesday.