NGSO Boom May Prompt Further FCC Satellite Rules Changes
The non-geostationary orbit satellite boom might require some regulatory changes both at the FCC and globally, Commissioner Mike O'Rielly said Thursday after an expected 3-0 approval of OneWeb's application for U.S. market access for its 720-satellite NGSO constellation (see 1706120036). He didn't say what changes might be needed but said OneWeb and other NGSO applications pointed out issues needing addressing on orbital debris and in-line interference. International Bureau Chief Tom Sullivan said beyond the agency's current Part 2 and 25 rules update proceeding, it's looking to the 11 NGSO applications triggered by the broadband satellite constellation's processing round (see 1611160010) to also drive possible future regulatory changes.
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The FCC also is evaluating whether to start a proceeding on cubesat-centric rules, said International Bureau Satellite Division Chief Jose Albuquerque. The numbers of such satellites "are increasing ... dramatically," with most authorized via experimental licenses, he said. But the bureau is considering creating a set of rules to address some applications "that don't really fall into the experimental license framework," Albuquerque said.
Compared with traditional geostationary orbit satellite applications, the review of NGSO applications poses "pretty significant [regulatory] challenges," Sullivan said. Albuquerque said those applications are more complex and require more review time.
The 11 other NGSO applications are in varying stages of review, Sullivan said. The U.S. market access grant includes various conditions such as power limits on the U.K.-flagged Ka- and Ku-band constellation, said the bureau. It also said the grant is conditioned on the outcome of the Part 2 and Part 25 rulemaking and on the pending request for rulemaking to allow more terrestrial use of the 12.2-12.7 GHz band as sought by Dish Network and other multichannel video distribution and data service spectrum licensees (see 1604260068). The draft order also said OneWeb operations were authorized in the 17.8-18.6 band only on a noninterference, non-protected basis. Sullivan said there were no significant changes between the draft and the final order, which wasn't posted Thursday. OneWeb CEO Greg Wyler tweeted Thursday that the approval means "Affordable low latency Broadband for Alaska and rural America starting in 2019!"
With the proposed NGSO constellations involving "a scale of satellite deployments we've not seen before," O'Rielly said "more holistic conversations" about terrestrial and satellite spectrum needs are necessary. "The satellite and wireless industries continue on a collision course ... as they seek spectrum for future systems," he said, adding there should be more spectrum clearing and sharing.
Sullivan said the speed with which the agency acted on the OneWeb application -- 14 months between the 2016 application and the meeting -- is "send[ing] a signal to others around the world who might not act as quickly for U.S. based services that this is a sign we should be moving forward." He said he wasn't pointing to specific other countries.