EchoStar Lobbies on Ka-Band ISls, Millimeter Wave Earth Station Limits

EchoStar said Ka-band hasn't been authorized for ISL use largely because there's plenty of spectrum available already for ISL, and ViaSat hasn't shown why a non-conforming use should be allowed. At the least, the agency should defer ViaSat consideration until standards for antenna pointing accuracy and interference avoidance can be addressed internationally and in the U.S. It also repeated its call for the agency to keep the domestic coverage requirement for non-geostationary orbit constellations (see 1801030039). And it said streamlining of earth stations in motion rules should include use of off-axis equivalent isotropically radiated power density limits instead of antenna pointing accuracy requirements, and ending what it said were needless data logging requirements. ViaSat outside counsel John Janka of Latham & Watkins said ViaSat isn't proposing ISLs but satellite-to-satellite links connecting a medium earth orbit constellation with a geostationary orbit constellation and that the FCC and ITU tables of frequency allocation covering fixed satellite service (FSS) include such links. Meanwhile, in a docket 14-177 ex parte filing Friday on a meeting with International Bureau staff, EchoStar said it also backed allowing individually licensed FSS earth stations in the 24.75-25.25 GHz band, but opposed employing spectrum frontiers-like limits on deploying satellite gateways in the bands above 95 GHz, and instead sharing rules should be put off until satellite and terrestrial technologies for those bands are developed.