Updated C-Band Earth Station Incumbents List Longer, but Not All Made Cut
Some, but not all, of the more than three dozen requests to be added to the FCC's C-band incumbent earth stations list were included, the International Bureau said Monday, releasing an updated list. Requests from operators that said they were…
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unaware of the registration window and its May 2019 closing were rejected. Staff also rejected earth station operators that tried to add antennas to their registrations and indicated they hadn't registered them previously because they thought registering just one would still give them needed interference protection. The bureau also denied asks to be allowed to renew expired registrations, and some that were dismissed for nonpayment of registration fees. It did allow modification of earth station registrations to reflect changes due to the broadcast incentive auction repack made since registration. The bureau said future earth station location changes beyond minor corrections will be reviewed case by case and won't necessarily allow a station to retain incumbent status. With the Aug. 31 deadline for incumbent earth stations to choose the lump sum repacking payment or reimbursement for actual relocation costs, licensees now need to look closely at the election requirements and consider if the lump sum will be enough to cover costs, blogged Lee Petro of Pillsbury, who has broadcast repack experience. Accepting a lump sum releases the FCC from all future claims for relief. Licensees need to ascertain if taking the commission's version of the standard deduction is better than itemizing expenses, he said Monday.