Non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite service applications or petitions for operations in the 10.7-12.7 GHz, 12.75-13.25 GHz, 13.8-14.5 GHz, 17.7-18.6 GHz, 18.8-20.2 GHz and 27.5-30 GHz bands are due May 26, the FCC Satellite Division said in a public notice Tuesday. It said the processing round follows a similar one in 2016, and was prompted by New Spectrum, Kuiper and OneWeb applications that came after that round's close. OneWeb and Kuiper are provisionally in the latest processing round since both asked to be considered as part of previous processing rounds. It said those requests will be addressed as part of the review of their filings.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project approved the 5G variant of Globalstar's Band 53, the satellite operator said Monday. Company Executive Chairman Jay Monroe said the 5G status for the band "is a significant advancement in our spectrum efforts." It said the band could be used for small-cell use, as a traffic channel or an anchor for other bands in 5G networks.

SES/O3b and Amazon's Kuiper have been lobbying the FCC in recent days over Kuiper's proposed broadband mega constellation. SES/O3b, to aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and the regular commissioners, argued letting Kuiper bypass a new processing round would undermine the competitive certainty and stability a processing round gives and could chill investment in already approved non-geostationary orbit networks. SES/O3b said bypassing a processing round would burden authorized systems like its own and limit their capacity. Kuiper, to a Pai aide and the International Bureau, urged "expeditious" approval of its application and said existing licensees are trying "to saddle new entrants ... with heavy-handed regulations."

SiriusXM representatives opposed a wireless industry push for the FCC to license and sell the upper 6 GHz band, in meetings with aides to all commissioners expect Chairman Ajit Pai. The company uses 7.025-7.075 GHz frequencies as the only feeder link it has to transmit programming to satellite digital audio radio service satellites and control them. “The Commission licensed this spectrum to SiriusXM in 1997 as an essential element of its SDARS systems that are relied on by tens of millions of Americans, including for critical emergency information,” the company said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 18-295. The Wi-Fi Alliance also took a shot at the CTIA proposal. “It is remarkably ironic that, at a time when so many Americans are relying on low-cost Wi-Fi for bandwidth intensive telework, tele-school, tele-medicine and other accommodations necessary to meet the national COVID-19 crisis, CTIA argues that the Commission overestimated the need for unlicensed spectrum,” the alliance said: The current crisis “highlights how Americans have come to rely on Wi-Fi connectivity to conduct their lives.” CTIA has "consistently recognized the need for both licensed and unlicensed spectrum, and supports making the lower portion of the 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use,” responded Scott Bergmann, senior vice president-regulatory affairs: “The record in the FCC’s proceeding simply does not support moving forward with all 1,200 MHz of spectrum in the band at this time, and we’ve therefore asked for the FCC to preserve its options regarding the upper portion of the band.” Bergmann said contrary to some comments, CTIA is not asking that DOD has to move out of the upper 6 GHz band.

The demand for backhaul to rural small cells is lining up nicely with satellite capacity pricing and performance trends, Northern Sky Research analyst Lluc Palerm blogged Tuesday. The cost of small-cell deployment makes them a viable option for smaller subscriber bases than macrocells, and, while mobile network operators also will compete for that business, the market for rural small cell over satellite is growing quickly, he said.

Protect the 7.025-7.075 GHz band from harmful interference as it moves forward on a 6 GHz order, expected in April, SiriusXM representatives told the FCC. The frequencies offer “the sole feeder link spectrum available to and used by Sirius XM to transmit programming to Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service satellites and control those spacecraft,” the company told International Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff in a call, says a filing Monday in docket 18-295. CTIA urged the FCC to explore licensing spectrum in the upper part of the band (see 2003050058). “Sirius XM emphasized that proponents of possible licensed use of the Upper 6 GHz Band have ignored the fact that SDARS feeder links cannot be relocated to other spectrum or use a different transmission medium,” the filing says.

To meet FCC-set C band clearing deadlines, satellite operators need to start work, and the agency needs to OK that and make clear the costs of those efforts will be fully reimbursable as relocation costs, said SES in meetings with staff including International Bureau Chief Tom Sullivan, per a docket 18-122 posting Friday. The work needing to start now includes implementing technology upgrades and dual illumination to meet the Aug. 14 deadline when transition plans are to be finalized, it said. Though facing June 12 and Aug. 14 transition plan deadlines, satellite operators can't get those done until they have identified the earth station operators that will accept lump sum payments, so set a timely lump sum payment election deadline, the company said.

As more low earth orbit satellites go up, the astronomy community -- concerned about light pollution (see 1906100015) -- is going to want a role in constellation management and space safety, Aerospace Corp. said in a white paper Thursday. It said LEO constellation operators need to proactively work with stakeholders on options for optical reflectivity mitigation and albedo reduction. It urged discussions of various routes for weaving optical interference mitigation into the licensing application process.

MVPD subscriptions dropped 7.1% last year as vMVPDs grew 1.8 million, said Kagan Wednesday. All subs declined by 4.5 million in 2019, including 1.6 million subscribers in Q4, it said, reflecting an ongoing consumer viewing transition fed by expanded streaming video options and service providers’ de-emphasis of big subscription packages. Satellite accounted for the bulk of the traditional decline in Q4, with AT&T's DirecTV and Dish Network combined net losses of an estimated 863,000. Some 63.4% of occupied U.S. households subscribe to traditional multichannel video; 71% to virtual and traditional.

The launch market is oversaturated, with room for two U.S. launchers in the medium and heavy payload space, United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno said Tuesday at Satellite 2020. Those two would be alongside Arianespace and Russia's launch capabilities, since Europe and Russia will guarantee those two persist, he said. In the small payload space, SpaceX anticipates "two or so" launches a month this year, either for customers or its own StarLink satellites, said President Gwynne Shotwell. She said SpaceX pricing is about as low it can go for its existing rockets. She said its Starship under development could change the economics of crewed spaceflight.