The Commerce, NASA and DOD memo Ligado submitted to the FCC (see 2108030054) "plainly recognized" that Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC) and the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee (PNTEC) hadn't reached a decision about the feasibility of its terrestrial low power service plans, Iridium said in docket 12-340 Thursday. The memo instead designates the proposed uplinks to IRAC and the lower 10 MHz to PNTEC for review, and wasn't final agency input on Ligado's plans, Iridium said. Iridium said the 2013 email Ligado filed from then principal director within the DOD Office of Chief Information Officer mischaracterized the memo. The memo "clearly" shows interference effects from Ligado's uplinks to GPS, and the memo itself is irrelevant to the pending reconsideration petitions of the 2020 Ligado approval, it said. Ligado didn't comment.

The FCC International Bureau signed off on Orbcomm license transfers as part of a $1.1 billion acquisition by investment firm GI Partners (see 2105240003), said a bureau grant this week.

SpaceX criticisms of the RS Access-commissioned study showing the feasibility of 5G sharing the 12 GHz band with non-geostationary satellite deployments go "well beyond the bounds of zealous advocacy and professional decorum" in impugning the professional integrity of RKF Engineering, the engineering firm said in docket 20-443 Tuesday. It said SpaceX falsely assumes a 12 GHz 5G buildout will be in only urban areas. It said SpaceX was critical of RKF assumptions Starlink would focus on less densely populated areas when that's what SpaceX has indicated repeatedly. SpaceX didn't comment.

The FCC acknowledges the National Environmental Policy Act requires an environmental assessment of an authorization that could have significant environmental impact, but it inexplicably didn't require an EA for SpaceX's license modification plans despite the ozone damage, light pollution and orbital debris risks posed, Viasat and Balance Group told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in a brief Friday. They and Dish Network are appealing the agency's April license modification OK (see 2104260077). The order shouldn't have relied on uncertainty to refuse further assessment and gave no adequate reasoning, the appellants said in a docket 21-1123 brief (in Pacer). Appellant Dish Network, in a separate brief (in Pacer), said the FCC "refused to consider" Dish's showing that SpaceX would exceed power limits and jam Dish's direct broadcast satellite service. "It appears that none of the Commission’s engineering expertise was marshaled to analyze the interference concerns raised," Dish said, urging the court to vacate the FCC order authorizing SpaceX use of the 12 GHz band. The FCC didn't comment. Many think the license mod appeal is unlikely to succeed (see 2106020036).

SpaceX is buying Swarm Technologies, and Swarm asked the FCC International Bureau on Friday for approval for transfer of its earth station and satellite licenses, and that SpaceX take over multiple Swarm applications pending before the agency. Swarm said the deal would strengthen the combined companies' ability to provide satellite services reaching unserved and underserved parts of the world, with Swarm's services benefiting from better capitalization and access to resources, while SpaceX would gain access to Swarm intellectual property and expertise. Swarm said it's withdrawing its petition for market access in the 399.9-400.05 MHz and 400.15-401 MHz bands.

Noting the FCC didn't explicitly require SpaceX to obtain an ITU finding that the joint effect of the company's multiple ITU filings was considered, as part of its license modification, Amazon's Kuiper asked for the same treatment in the 2020 authorization of its planned constellation. In an International Bureau application Friday, Kuiper said modifying its authorization to remove the requirement would be consistent with ITU rules and the process governing equivalent power flux density limits, as well as FCC rules implementing those requirements. The FCC never identified any differences between SpaceX and Amazon justifying the different treatments, Kuiper said. It said the condition is more burdensome than, and not consistent with, the conditions put on SpaceX and other similarly situated non-geostationary orbit systems. The FCC didn't comment Monday.

Gogo Business Aviation's requested waiver of effective radiated power limits for air-to-ground operations in the 849-851 MHz and 894-896 MHz bands (see 2105270043 got some pushback. Motorola urged it be denied, saying in docket 21-282 Monday that Gogo makes no technical case and instead argues based on unproven and unsubstantiated claims and "and a desire to improve an unsubstantiated need for increased link budget." The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council said it worried about possible interference to public safety 800 MHz. It said a rulemaking proceeding would be a more appropriate vehicle than a waiver to address the request. Gogo emailed it plans to respond and correct technical misunderstandings while "demonstrating the extremely negligible possibility of interference."

Rebounding in-flight connectivity helped Viasat grow, though the company is "still well below pre-pandemic business levels," CEO Rick Baldridge told analysts Thursday on results for fiscal Q1 ended June 30. Satellite services revenue was $274 million, up 36% year over year, with commercial air activity picking up, it said. It expects revenue growth for the rest of the fiscal year due in part to passenger traffic trends. Overall revenue was $665 million, up $135 million. The stock closed 8.5% higher at $52.16.

SpaceX's Starlink broadband service tops geostationary operators HughesNet and Viasat, though all three satellite operators fall short of the median download speeds for fixed broadband providers, Ookla's Speedtest said Wednesday. It said its Q2 data, based on millions of Speedtest user tests, showed Starlink had "fixed-broadband-like latency figures and median download speeds fast enough to handle most of the needs of modern life," with 97.23 Mbps download, compared with HughesNet's 19.73 Mbps and Viasat's 18.13 Mbps. It said Q2 U.S. media download speed for all fixed providers was 115.22 Mbps. It said only Starlink had median latency "anywhere near" fixed broadband in Q2, at 45 milliseconds vs. fixed broadband's 14 milliseconds.

Applications for V-band non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service operations are due by Nov. 4, the FCC Satellite Division said in a public notice Wednesday announcing launch of a second V-band processing round. It said Viasat, Mangata and AST filed petitions concerning operations in V band after the deadline for the 2017 processing round.