Tim Warren

Satellite companies are watching closely the FCC’s proceeding on NTIA suggestions for spectrum suitable for terrestrial broadband deployment, executives said. Several of the bands overlap with spectrum used by the satellite industry or are adjacent to it. The FCC asked for comment on the proposals in a public notice last month (CD March 9 p11) and comments are due April 22 in docket 10-123.

The FCC is changing rules for mobile satellite service (MSS), in an order released late Wednesday. The order was largely uncontroversial and is in line with the proposed rulemaking from last year (CD July 16 p1). The document will add secondary market spectrum leasing rules for terrestrial use in bands allocated for MSS and give terrestrial S-band use co-primary status. The order was developed by the Wireless and International bureaus and Office of Engineering and Technology.

The FCC International Bureau waiver that allows LightSquared to offer terrestrial-only service should have received a full public notice with a 30-day comment period because the requested modification, by the FCC’s own account, isn’t a “minor” one, said the U.S. GPS Industry Council and the Air Transport Association. The trade groups filed joint reply comments to oppositions to applications for review of the waiver (CD March 17 p17). The waiver order itself makes clear that “the modification is not minor” because it would raise interference issues and finds that LightSquared’s mobile satellite service modification request requires a waiver of FCC rules, they said.

The departments of Defense and Transportation “were not sufficiently included” in the FCC’s development of LightSquared’s initial work plan and milestones, the agencies said in a letter to the FCC. Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari and Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn piled on criticism of the commission’s handling of LightSquared’s plans for wireless service, in a March 25 letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. It hasn’t been made public yet. LightSquared and the U.S. GPS Industry Council are leading a working group review of GPS interference issues, as required by the FCC. DOD and DOT said they had several concerns with the International Bureau’s response to questions on the set-up of the working group (CD Feb 17 p8).

A South African company may end up with the ICO Global’s international satellite and spectrum assests under a February agreement between the companies, ICO said in an SEC filing. The deal gives the South African company, Jay & Jayendra, an option to take over ICO’s medium earth orbit assets, the filing says. The agreement doesn’t include the North American satellite and spectrum rights, which are being sold to Dish Network by ICO’s bankrupt subsidiary DBSD. The spectrum rights are probably the most valuable piece of the purchase by Jay & Jayendra, said an analyst. The filing is at http://xrl.us/bitkwa.

EchoStar’s purchase of Hughes could lead to a policy shift by the second company on the Universal Service revamp because the acquiree has voiced different positions on the issue from the acquirer, FCC filings show. Hughes, which has previously said satellite broadband should be left out of the USF and Connect America fund, could change its position if EchoStar takes over. A united satellite broadband front would “be a big positive for the industry and provide a very strong response to the FCC” General Counsel Lisa Scalpone of WildBlue said in an interview.

Mobile satellite service operators have widely disparate views on the evolution of the MSS industry, CEOs said on a panel at the Satellite 2011 conference in Washington on Wednesday. Each of the companies pointed to different visions they said would drive growth in the industry.

Increased integration of satellite and terrestrial services appears to be the next step for satellite companies, satellite industry CEOs said Tuesday on a Satellite 2011 conference panel in Washington, D.C.

Mobile satellite service satellites and spectrum could end up in the hands of the major wireless players after MSS companies move through their bankruptcies, said several panelists at the Satellite 2011 conference in Washington. The panelists showed a reticence to predict who will end up with the MSS assets, but many pointed to the wireless players as a logical end, due in part to the FCC’s focus on making that spectrum available for terrestrial use.

Recent GPS industry efforts to drum up support and interest in the LightSquared proceeding aren’t expected to hurt the LightSquared working group process, said LightSquared’s executive vice president of regulatory affairs Jeff Carlisle in an interview. GPS interests announced Thursday they would form a new group to increase awareness of potential interference problems and a Trimble Navigation executive will take up the issue in Congressional testimony Friday (CD March 10 p7).