The FCC Space Bureau has signed off on SpaceX's first-generation Starlinks using parts of the 137-138 MHz unlink and 148-150.05 MHz downlink bands during launch, in early operations and in mobile satellite service, said a notice in Friday's Daily Digest. It said no more than 150 of SpaceX's Starlinks or Swarm satellites can operate in the bands simultaneously.

Some of the launch spectrum streamlining that Congress seeks can be achieved by consolidating in one place post-license site and station registration, per-launch coordination, and final launch registration, said SpaceX, Blue Origin and Firefly Aerospace. In a docket 13-115 filing Friday, the launch providers said information today is scattered across the universal licensing system and the frequency coordination system. Consolidating coordination data "would provide a one-stop-shop for launch coordination." They also urged a five- to 10-day window before launch for launch service providers to be required to submit per-launch coordination details, rather than a longer requirement of submitting 60 or even 30 days before launch. They said the shorter window would align with current coordination practices among launch service providers.

Looming Chinese competition in the global maritime distress and safety service (GMDSS) equipment universe is making the need to allow use of such equipment other than Inmarsat's more urgent, according to Iridium. In a filing Tuesday recapping a meeting with FCC Wireline Bureau staff, Iridium said the agency's Part 80 rules, governing maritime radio use, should be amended so they apply to all recognized GMDSS providers, including itself. With China's BeiDou satellite radio navigation system recognized by the International Maritime Organization as a GMDSS provider, U.S. GMDSS leadership is in jeopardy, Iridium said. In addition, other GMDSS providers will enter. Iridium said its provision of GMDSS today under a Part 80 waiver "puts [it] on a weaker footing" for international coordination. The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services petitioned in 2016 for a Part 80 rules update.

Globalstar is urging FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz to approve its proposed C-3 constellation (see 2502280001). In a filing Tuesday recapping a meeting with Schwarz, Globalstar said SpaceX -- which has argued there first should be a rulemaking proceeding regarding the big low earth orbit band (see 2410020029) -- has never offered technical explanations of how it could operate on a co-frequency basis in the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands without interfering with Globalstar's mobile satellite service (MSS) offerings. Globalstar said the big LEO MSS licensing status quo "has been an extraordinary success, based on the regulatory and investment certainty ... and there is no justification for modifying this framework."

Non-geostationary orbit satellite operators Kineis and Myriota are urging the FCC to incorporate a satellite system's mass into determining the regulatory fees that a satellite operator is charged. In a docket 24-85 filing posted Friday, Kineis recapped meetings with staffers from the four FCC commissioners' offices. Kineis told them that its system parameters are similar to the small satellite category envisioned in the space regulatory fee alternatives proceeding (see 2502260017), but those parameters are also very different from virtually all systems other than Myriota's. Kineis said that while other countries often look at frequency use in determining regulatory fees, Kineis' frequency use in the U.S. is much less than many small satellite systems. While the fee alternatives Further NPRM would have it pay close to $145,000 annually in regulatory fees, Kineis said paying two to three times the small satellite regulatory fee -- which would be $25,000 to $35,000 -- would be appropriate for its network. The number of satellites in a constellation doesn't directly correlate with its regulatory burden and complexity, and it's necessary to factor in the total mass of satellites because it's a proxy for characteristics that implicate complexity and regulatory burden, like greater frequency use and larger potential for orbital debris, Kineis said. Recapping meetings with the office of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the Space Bureau, Myriota also backed incorporating system mass into regulatory fees.

SpaceX's plans to increase from 50 Falcon 9 launches annually from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to as many as 120 shouldn't have major effects on airspace and maritime activities in the region, the FAA said Friday in a draft environmental assessment. SpaceX is also proposing to build and operate a Falcon 9 landing zone there, the agency said. Its assessment said it didn't expect big cumulative effects on air quality from the proposed operations. If it turns out there are significant noise issues from the proposed operations, "then appropriate mitigations would be developed, where practicable to minimize or avoid impacts."

The FCC can grease the path for increased numbers of commercial space launches if it requires launch operators to submit launch spectrum coordination information to a third-party coordinator five to 10 days before launch, according to SpaceX. In a docket 13-115 filing Friday recapping meetings with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff, SpaceX said many satellites lack launch windows until 10 days prior, so requiring initial coordination to start 60-80 days before launch would increase administrative burdens and uncertainty. SpaceX said a spectrum coordination time frame of 60-80 days would have meant 17 to 20 re-coordination efforts per launch for SpaceX in 2024 -- several times more than what would be required in a time frame of five to 10 days.

Indian telecommunications companies Bharti Airtel and Jio announced agreements this week to partner with SpaceX on offering its Starlink broadband service in India, once SpaceX has Indian regulatory approval for market access.

The Cochise County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Office has signed an agreement with Intelsat to use the satellite operator's connectivity alongside 5G cellular to provide voice and broadband connectivity in previously unconnected areas along the southern U.S. border, Intelsat said Wednesday. Under the deal, 10 systems were installed in police vehicles, and four more will be placed at the county's 911 dispatch center. At the Satellite 2025 show this week, Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras cited border security as a potential growth opportunity for the company.

Amazon expects to slightly decrease the number of satellites in its planned V- and Ku-band Kuiper satellite network. In an FCC Satellite Bureau application posted Wednesday, it said its plans now call for 38 fewer satellites in the three systems that will make up the V- and Ku-band Kuiper network. The company also said it wants to add the 17.3-17.8 GHz frequencies to the bands the Kuiper network will use and to expand the use of certain Ka- and V-band frequencies to other parts of the systems. Amazon said its first-generation V- and Ku-band Kuipers would number 3,232, instead of 3,236, its second-gen Kuiper system would number 3,212 instead of 3,236, and its polar orbit Kuipers would number 1,292 instead of 1,302.