ATC Rules Are a Failure, Iridium Says
The FCC's ancillary terrestrial component rules -- aimed at letting mobile satellite service operators provide better coverage in areas tough to serve by satellite -- are a failure, with no ATC deployment made under them and no viable ATC-like service…
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having succeeded in the marketplace, Iridium said in a docket 18-377 posting Wednesday. Iridium -- which has advocated eliminating the ATC rules -- said Ligado's own ATC plans aren't ancillary because its service would be fully terrestrial but use satellite spectrum. It said Ligado claims Iridium is trying to suppress competition are specious since Ligado is a niche satellite service provider with only a marginal presence to begin with. And it said Ligado's ATC proposal is unrelated to 5G because it involves spectrum that hasn't been recognized for 5G by international standards bodies. Ligado didn't comment Thursday.