No Rush for FCC on ITSO Concerns, Official Says
“There’s no time pressure” on the FCC to address an International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) request to change Intelsat’s original licenses to reflect its obligations to maintain lifeline connectivity to developing countries, said David Gross, U.S. State Department coordinator for international communications and information policy. Gross and Richard Russell, the head of the U.S. delegation to the coming World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva, spoke Thursday at a meeting of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy. Russell briefed the committee on the conference; Gross reported on State’s discussions with Vietnam and Mexico.
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ITSO members, loss of access to Intelsat satellite services if the company goes belly up, have been pressing their case to Gross, FCC staff and members of Congress (CD Oct. 1 p8). They needn’t worry, Gross told us. “I could imagine why people would be concerned if there was some event that would require action by a certain date,” but that’s not the case, Gross said.
The State Department is “working very closely” with ITSO, Intelsat, and member states on “a whole series of issues,” Gross said. The State Department recently filed a document at the FCC suggesting conditions on any transfer of Intelsat licenses, he said. Gross expects the FCC to adopt the outline when it has a look at the issues, he said. “We're in a good place,” he added. “We've now addressed the issues that the member states of ITSO have identified… in ways that should work well for all parties.”
Terrestrial versus satellite will be the main divide at this year’s WRC, Russell told the committee. Europeans use satellites less than Americans do; they prefer terrestrial services, he said. That preference also applies to developing countries choosing technology directions, he said.
The U.S. will “push hard” to get the 700 MHz band dubbed the global standard frequency for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), Russell said. Russell expects lengthy discussion; another factions wants the C-band made the IMT standard, which would be bad for U.S. satellites. The U.S. also wants WRC to take a position regarding the risk of satellite-based interference with new terrestrial services using 2.5 GHz spectrum, Russell said. That “critical” issue must be solved at this year’s WRC, he said. Few satellites interfere, but that soon could “radically change,” he said.
Gross reported on trade talks in Vietnam and Mexico. The U.S. and Vietnam are discussing the importance of a free flow of information, Gross said. Mexico is looking “with fresh eyes” at telecom, and there’s “a lot we can bring to the table,” he said. The U.S. and Mexico are working to reduce call transfer costs between the nations, he said.