Earth Station Fee Exemption Urged in Foreign-Licensed Satellite Proceeding
Foreign-licensed satellites with U.S. market access should pay regulatory fees like U.S.-licensed satellites, but an exemption for earth station licensees should be approved for U.S. market access before a Further NPRM is released, EchoStar, Intelsat and SpaceX told FCC International…
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Bureau staffers, including Satellite Division Chief Jose Albuquerque. A docket 19-105 posting Monday said that exemption would discourage regulatory fee arbitrage without hurting licensees. The companies said licensing fee inequity incentivizes satellite operators seeking licenses from other administrations to avoid U.S. regulatory fees, leading to more U.S. market access filings requiring more FCC resources and fewer U.S. licensees to cover the costs.