The FCC should change International Bureau policies to make Ka-ba...
The FCC should change International Bureau policies to make Ka-band satellite licensing easier and more efficient, the Satellite Industry Assn. (SIA) said in comments for the Commission’s biennial regulatory review. Routinely licensed Ka-band earth stations should be okayed for…
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“ALSAT” designation like C- and Ku-band earth stations, SIA said. DirecTV has 9 Ka-band gateway earth station licenses, EchoStar holds 3 and WildBlue holds 4, SIA said: “Each time one of these operators launches a new Ka-band satellite or relocates an existing satellite, it must modify most or all of its gateway licenses to reflect the new fleet configuration.” SIA wants Ka-band satellites added to the FCC’s Permitted Space Station list of foreign satellites cleared for communication to the U.S., it said. DBS licensing also should be simpler, SIA said. DBS feeder-link earth stations should be allowed to communicate with all U.S.-licensed and permitted foreign-licensed DBS satellites, the group said. A designation of “DBSAT” would be akin to the “ALSAT/Permitted List” regime, the group said. Other satellite industry reform requests: (1) Change Ka-band earth station requirements so feeder link earth stations don’t have to provide antenna test pattern data meant for blanket licensing. (2) Allow “notice-only” changes to earth station licenses when there’s no risk of interference. (3) Let earth station applicants fix minor application errors using on-the- record e-mail rather than the FCC formally dismissing the application and making firms reapply. (4) Fix problems with the International Bureau Filing System online interface and enable parties to file pleadings, not just applications, through IBFS.