The FCC Space Bureau has rejected a June 2024 waiver request from Theia Holdings for a retroactive waiver of a bond requirement connected with its nongeostationary satellite orbit license, saying in an order Friday that the full $4.3 million value of the bond is due and must be paid to the U.S. Treasury. “Theia’s license was conditioned upon Theia posting, and thereafter maintaining in the Commission’s files, a surety bond with a specified penal amount sufficient to cover its potential liability in the event of default under the Commission’s escalating bond liability formula,” the order said. Theia’s potential liability under the escalating bond liability formula exceeded the value of its bond on file in May, and Theia requested the waiver in June to allow it to sell its assets to Emtech Global International. “After review of the record, we conclude that Theia has failed to demonstrate good cause for waiver of its bond requirement,” the order said. “Rather, Theia’s license became null and void on May 16, 2024, without further Commission action. Accordingly, the full $4,340,000 value of Theia’s bond must be paid to the U.S. Treasury upon written notice from the Commission’s Office of Managing Director.”

Iridium shares tumbled Thursday as the company announced Q2 results that included lowering its services revenue outlook for 2025. In a call with analysts, CEO Matt Desch said service revenue is expected to grow 3%-5% this year, instead of its previous forecast of 5%-7%. Desch chalked up that lower estimate to increased maritime broadband competition, voice subscriptions losses related to canceled U.S. Agency for International Development funding and some positioning, navigation and timing revenue that is now expected to arrive in 2026 instead of this year. William Blair's Louie DiPalma wrote investors that SpaceX was "the primary culprit," with maritime customers shifting from Iridium's satellite network to Starlink. Though many of those customers still use Iridium as a backup, that arrangement generates less revenue, he said. While Iridium expects broadband pricing pressure into 2026, the company raised prices for its commercial satellite phone plans on July 1, which is expected to result in satellite phone service revenue growth accelerating in the second half, DiPalma said. Desch said Iridium has signed several memorandums of understanding with mobile network operators for Iridium's NTN Direct narrowband IoT service, with NTN Direct to launch in 2026. Iridium stock closed Thursday at $25.26, down $7.17.

A mobile billboard truck condemning Dish Network as being “woke” was parked near FCC headquarters Thursday morning in the hours before the agency’s open meeting. Conservative group Consumers’ Research was labeled as the billboard’s sponsor. “Woke Alert. Dish Network is Pushing a Woke Agenda while Asking Conservatives for Favors,” the sign read, directing readers to WokeDishNetwork.com. The URL goes to a page on Consumers’ Research’s website, where it condemns Dish for the company’s diversity policies and CEO Charlie Ergen’s donations to Democratic Party campaigns. The FCC is currently investigating Dish’s parent company EchoStar over its use of spectrum and failure to fulfill buildout promises to the agency. In June, President Donald Trump reportedly interceded with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Ergen’s behalf (see 2506160039). Asked about the investigation Thursday, Carr said he “is still open-minded on a path forward” but the status quo is “unacceptable.” Dish is “sitting on” a “tremendous amount of spectrum” that isn’t being effectively utilized, Carr said. Consumers’ Research is known for litigating for conservative causes and has repeatedly challenged the legality of the FCC’s USF fund. The organization doesn’t disclose its donors, but DonorsTrust in 2022 named Consumers’ Research as among recipients of its grants totaling $242 million. DonorsTrust is a donor-advised funding provider that supports conservative groups. “We share your commitment to protecting our nation’s constitutional liberties and strengthening civil society through private institutions rather than with government programs,” said its website.

AST SpaceMobile is underestimating the collision risk its proposed BlueBird satellites pose when it assumes its dead satellites will remain in their optimal orientation even when the company loses control of them, SpaceX said in a filing posted Wednesday (docket 25-201). SpaceX added AST is "massively" undercounting the number of objects it will need to avoid in orbit, which raises the question about the company's readiness to prevent collisions. The FCC must require AST -- the same way it did for SpaceX -- to complete actual coordination with the National Science Foundation, including steps to mitigate its satellites' impact on optical astronomy, before it can conduct launches, according to SpaceX. The company also urged that AST commit to complying with the performance-based space sustainability requirements. AST is seeking approval to operate an additional 243 satellites in addition to the five already authorized (see 2506200061).

Viasat and EchoStar undoubtedly "will fight tooth and nail" to keep their expiring 2 GHz mobile satellite service rights in Europe and the U.K., but they could face an uphill battle, telecommunications consultant Tim Belfall of WestEnd WiFi Ltd. wrote Monday. The U.K. Office of Communications on Monday requested comments on the use of the 1980-2010 MHz and 2170-2200 MHz swaths after the Viasat and EchoStar licenses expire in May 2027. Belfall said the companies' big hurdles are the "many demands on spectrum resources and many more competing companies." The U.K. "will probably be in lock step with any EU decision, as to have two different licensing regimes across geographic neighbours would be inconvenient."

Japanese satcom company Sky Perfect JSAT, with 17 satellites in geostationary orbit, is looking to boost its presence in earth observation, subsidiary JSAT Beyond Innovation (JBI) told the FCC Space Bureau. In an application posted Saturday, JBI said it's aiming for a fall 2026 launch of the first of what will be 10 non-geostationary orbit earth observation satellites. It intends to target potential U.S. and international customers, including governmental agencies and commercial enterprises, the filing said.

SES' now-completed purchase of Intelsat (see 2507170002) needs "a forward-looking, multi-orbit strategy," Eutelsat Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs Letterio Pirrone wrote Monday. SES and Intelsat are exposed to the ongoing trend of legacy geostationary orbit (GSO) operators being challenged by growing demand for low-latency, high-throughput connectivity, Pirrone said. Both companies' margins are under pressure, and neither owns a globally deployed, low-latency low earth orbit constellation -- "an increasingly critical asset in this evolving landscape." The newly combined company's success will depend on integrating GSO and non-GSO services, as well as transforming its network, he said.

The Commerce Department's FY 2026 budget request threatens the continued growth of the space economy and U.S. leadership in promoting safe and responsible space use, the Secure World Foundation wrote Thursday. The budget proposal would greatly reduce funding for the Office of Space Commerce and kill its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). The foundation said commercial space situational awareness (SSA) providers can't fill all the gaps left by ending TraCSS. While commercial SSA providers have developed observation and tracking capabilities and advanced analytics to assess possible conjunctions, it's questionable whether space safety should be delegated to the private sector, Secure World said. Many commercial SSA services are designed for DOD requirements and missions, so it's unclear whether they will be appropriate for civil and commercial space safety needs, it said. The U.S. government has freely provided space safety data to all operators globally since 2009 because it benefited the U.S. to have a stable, predictable space environment, the group noted. That, in turn, promoted the U.S. as a leading space power, and TraCSS would help the country maintain that position, it added.

SES' now-finalized takeover of Intelsat (see 2507170002) is a sign of satellite communication's center of gravity shifting permanently from geostationary orbit (GSO) incumbents to low earth orbit (LEO) disruptors, Quilty Space wrote last week. GSO's declining dominance due to the rise of LEO and stagnating broadcast revenue, among other issues, has been plain to see for years, it said. Quilty cited operator responses such as Telesat moving away from GSO in favor of its LightSpeed LEO system, Eutelsat buying OneWeb, and Viasat acquiring Inmarsat and now teasing direct-to-device services and multi-orbit offerings. SES' near-term priorities are integrating Intelsat, cutting costs and reducing its use of debt, according to Quilty. Beyond that, SES must set a course "that not only fends off emerging LEO competitors but also accelerates growth beyond its current high-single-digit targets."

Despite calls for an international system of space traffic management, there continues to be no actual movement in that direction, Rand Corp. researcher Doug Ligor said Thursday on the group's Policy Minded podcast. "We continue to rely on the idea that we're going to develop voluntary norms of behavior and rules from a bottom-up approach," said Ligor, director of the management, technology and capabilities program for Rand's Homeland Security Research Division. However, Ligor added, "it's not working. We don't have positive norms of behavior." The U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has failed to come to consensus on multiple issues, he noted.