FCC Puts Finishing Touches on Final ESV Order
The FCC is working through the final details of a decision on rules for radio transmitters operated on ships -- known as earth stations on board vessels (ESVs). Sources said Fri. that while the 8th-floor offices are still considering several issues, a vote is very likely at the Dec. 15 meeting. The order involves operations in both the C- and Ku-bands. The C-band operations are controversial because they overlap fixed wireless operations.
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“We're hearing this is a go,” said one industry source. “It’s complicated, but all of the issues can be resolved. We certainly hope this is decided at the Dec. meeting.” The ITU World Radiocommunication Conference in 2003, in a significant development for ESV, determined that the stations should be considered fixed wireless satellite service, not mobile wireless, which cleared the way for the current rulemaking.
The issue pits fixed-wireless operators that want controls on the transmitters against the satellite industry, which wants freedom to operate. Many types of ships, from oil rigs to sea floor exploration vessels, use the transmitters to send electronic data. Cruise ships, for example, need to send to shore copious Customs details on their passengers before they make landfall.
ESVs have been operating in the C-band 10 years under special temporary authority limited to 6-month terms, requiring frequent renewals. The Satellite Industry Assn. said this adds an element of uncertainty to the long-term regulatory status and discourages the maritime industry from using FSS services. ESVs have been operating in Ku- band 3 or 4 years.
Several issues are at play, including when the rules kick in and whether operators must file detailed travel information, we're told. For example, fixed wireless interests want coordination requirements to kick in within 300 km of shore, but ESV operators say the limit should be 100 km.
The Fixed Wireless Communications Coalition (FWCC) said in a filing last month that the best alternative would be banning ESV operations in C-band within 300 km of shore. Alternatively, FWCC said members should have access to real time ESV frequency and itinerary information, and the FCC should order GPS-based shut-off if the vessel leaves coordinated routes, FWCC said. “ESV proponents resist this proposal but there is no other way to assure compliance with coordination parameters earth satellite vessels.”
A satellite industry source said Fri. his side has contended that the stricter controls demanded by the other side would address a nonexistent problem. “They have yet to prove one example of interference,” the source said: “They keep saying ESVs cause interference. Give us one example.” An FCC official confirmed that only one instance of interference has been cited and no solid complaint has ever been lodged.
Ship operators would be reluctant to file travel itineraries because of security concerns, officials said. ESV operators also question the need for the shut-off controls, which they say would impose unnecessary costs. “The course that these ships follow is as delineated as I- 95,” a satellite source said.
The concern is less about how ESVs are currently operating than about the future. “If there’s a huge proliferation of them, there could be huge interference,” the FCC official said: “We can’t let ESVs go willy-nilly blasting the fixed services out.”