Orbcomm's $1.1 billion acquisition by investment firm GI Partners is complete, Orbcomm told the FCC International Bureau Tuesday in a consummation notice. The agency signed off on Orbcomm's license transfers in August (see 2108110003).
The FCC "permissibly and sensibly" harmonized interference standards with ITU's, requiring SpaceX to get ITU OK as a condition of a license modification, while Dish Network wanted its own interference studies that used methodologies different from FCC mandates, SpaceX told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday in an intervenor brief (docket 21-1123, in Pacer). Dish, Viasat and Balance Group are challenging SpaceX's license mod (see 2106020036). SpaceX said no authority backs Viasat and Balance's bid "to gut" categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act. It said even if possible environmental impacts of its Starlink constellation fall within NEPA, FCC OK includes SpaceX orbital debris mitigation and reporting conditions to ensure high Starlink satellite reliability. Outside counsel for the appellants didn't comment Wednesday.
RS Access, which urged opening the 12 GHz band for 5G services, is continuing to lobby the FCC's eighth floor, said a docket 20-443 filing Wednesday on a meeting between CEO Noah Campbell and an aide to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. It gave a presentation similar to ones given earlier this month to aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks.
Certifying it completed its Phase I C-band accelerated clearing work, Eutelsat in docket 18-122 Tuesday asked for FCC validation of the certification and for the agency to direct the relocation payment clearinghouse to issue its accelerated relocation payment. It said it no longer provides any C-band downlink services to customers in the contiguous U.S.
Citing what it says are holes in the safety-related information in SpaceX's semiannual status report (see 2107060001), Viasat told the FCC International Bureau Monday that SpaceX needs to drill down more deeply on such issues as the number of conjunction events identified for Starlink satellites and difficulties encountered in collision avoidance. It said SpaceX failed to disclose its seeming intent to quit using in-orbit "screening" of satellites at very low orbits to ensure they're functioning before being raised to their operational orbits, though CEO Elon Musk said SpaceX will start injecting its Starlink satellites into their target orbits directly. SpaceX didn't comment Tuesday.
The National Environmental Policy Act, passed during the space race, never mentions outer space and refers explicitly to "man's environment" and "the human environment," making it clear its jurisdiction is on Earth, TechFreedom told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday. The group's amicus brief (in Pacer, docket 21-1123) backed the FCC. Appellants Viasat and Balance Group are challenging on environmental grounds the agency's approval of a license modification granted SpaceX (see 2106020036). Even if NEPA did apply to space, TechFreedom said, environmental harm arguments raised by Viasat and Balance "are overstated and speculative." Counsel for the appellants didn't comment.
Another 26 earth stations are involved in Eutelsat's portion of the C-band clearing than originally thought, it said Monday in docket 18-122, updating its transition plan. It said the changed list of earth stations reflects the FCC International Bureau's refinement of its list of eligible incumbent earth stations, Eutelsat outreach to earth station operators and coordination with other C-band satellite operators. The company said it's possible it might discover a small number of earth stations that need to be added to the list for the Phase II transition. It put its total relocation cost estimates at $8 million, up about $600,000 (see 2107080060), and cited changes in the number of antennae included in the transition plan and the necessary services to be provided for the earth stations. The bureau released a list of earth station antennas on the C-band incumbent list that are possibly inactive or not operational in the band. It said Monday the deadline is Dec. 27 for operators of those earth stations to inform the bureau they're operating in the band or be removed from the incumbent earth station list.
SpaceX, when putting forth two different configurations for its proposed second-generation constellation, should have sought waiver of rules requiring applicants provide a complete, single-system proposal to the FCC for consideration, EchoStar/Hughes told the International Bureau Thursday. It said SpaceX also should have to explain how two configurations in a single application benefits the public interest. SpaceX didn't comment Friday.
Comments are due Oct. 25, replies Nov. 4, on Intelsat's request for assignment and transfer of control of authorizations as part of its reorganization under emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy (see 2108270001), said an FCC International Bureau public notice (docket 21-375) Friday.
SpaceX, OneWeb, Telesat and Kepler petitions for reconsideration of the FCC FY 2021 regulatory fees order (see 2109170045) don't say anything new and their arguments were rejected in the August order, BlackSky Global said Friday in an opposition in docket 21-190.