Regulators 'Scrambling' as Space Sector Sees Rapid Change
The satellite industry is changing rapidly, with many smaller companies making investments and seeking roles, speakers said Tuesday during a Technology Policy Institute (TPI) webinar. They agreed that continued growth depends on spectrum but cautioned that regulators are struggling to keep up with change.
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David Goldman, vice president-satellite policy at SpaceX, said the panelists that TPI invited were familiar faces from some of the biggest players in the sector. But there’s also a “burgeoning space industry of companies that you don’t think of.” Access to space has never been “more available,” he said. “We’re really seeing a lot of entrepreneurs [and] innovators come up with new ideas.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has said repeatedly that he wants to lower regulatory “barriers to entry” and “speed decisions,” Goldman said. “That’s going to be necessary.” Under former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC created the Space Bureau and did “a lot of work laying the groundwork for things that are coming,” Goldman said. “There are still a lot of new steps that can be taken.”
This is the most exciting time for space communications “that we’ve ever seen,” nearly as exciting as the Apollo program in the 1960s, said Kalpak Gude, head-regulatory affairs for Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The most important concept for spectrum today is sharing, he added.
“How do we better utilize spectrum more efficiently, across more operators?” Gude asked: “That really is fundamental to the future success of space.”
“There are new services and technologies being rolled out every day,” said Peter Davidson, Intelsat vice president-global government affairs and policy. Intelsat has partnerships with StarLink and OneWeb, he noted. Once SAS completes its buy of Intelsat in the next few months, that will result in “very robust” satellite constellations, he said.
“Some of the technologies that are emerging now will be very well served by a multi-orbit strategy, since different orbits provide different pros and cons for consumers,” Davidson added.
Cooley’s Henry Wendel said one interesting area is the in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) sector, which is “growing at an exponential rate” with lots of private investment and DOD funding. There’s no dedicated spectrum for ISAM operations, he noted. “It’s clear that that’s going to be something that needs to change,” and sharing will have to be part of the solution.
“I’m hopeful that this administration will prioritize finding spectrum and supporting ISAM operations, because it’s going to be critical for the operators,” Wendel said.
Goldman called for a rethinking of space spectrum based on lessons from terrestrial wireless. One example would be shot clocks for satellite licenses, he said. In the past, FCC licensing decisions have taken years, and “that’s just not the world we live in anymore.” To make investments, companies need “some sort of predictability.”
The 6G world will offer “ubiquitous” communications, with satellite and terrestrial operators working together, Goldman said. “How do we make sure that the licensing frameworks, and the regulations, match up with what’s coming?”
Regulators are “scrambling” worldwide to keep pace with change, Davidson said. They're “saying, 'We like innovation, we like investment, we want to have a regulatory regime that’s going to encourage this experimentation,'” he said. “At the same time, we need to make sure that we aren’t interfering with existing services. … It can’t be completely the Wild West.”