SES Says Lower EPFD Concerns 'Are Not Hypothetical,' Complaining of Real Interference

The ITU's existing equivalent power flux density (EPFD) power limits on non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites protect SES' ability to offer service while giving NGSOs regulatory certainty, company representatives told the office of FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez last week. In a filing posted Friday, (docket 25-157), SES said that with thousands of NGSOs launched in the last five years, and NGSO total capacity exceeding geostationary orbit capacity, it's hard to see how the EPFD limits are too protective of GSOs. The EPFD limits might be 25 years old, but they're not automatically outdated, SES argued. In addition, the company said its EPFD concerns "are not hypothetical," as it has seen a yearlong harmful interference incident from an NGSO system operating well in excess of the EPFD limits. The NGSO operator is working to fix the problem, but the interference still hasn't been fully corrected, it added.