The FCC launched a rulemaking seeking comment on a Qualcomm proposal for a terrestrial-based air-ground mobile broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band, on a secondary basis, for use by passengers on aircraft. The service uses time-division duplex technology and is expected to mean faster broadband connections on commercial flights. The proposal has faced continuing opposition from the Satellite Industry Association since the spectrum is set aside as a satellite uplink band. Commissioners approved the NPRM on a 4-0 vote Thursday, but said they want hard evidence that the new service won’t pose interference problems for satellite operators.

American Airlines sent a letter to the FCC supporting a rulemaking notice that would establish an Air-Ground Mobile Broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band (CD April 30 p4). On Thursday, the FCC put out a notice saying the NPRM is still set for a vote at its Thursday meeting. “The service will be important to satisfying air travelers’ increasing demands for mobile broadband data,” the company said (http://bit.ly/ZsoOhx). “American Airlines agrees with the central premise of the Petition for Rulemaking that Qualcomm Incorporated filed asking the FCC to establish the new service -- that U.S. travelers need to have broadband access while they are in-flight that is equal to the level of access they have on the ground because broadband access via smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops, is valued by American travelers.” Qualcomm met with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on the notice (http://bit.ly/15ekFpi). The Satellite Industry Association had a series of meetings at the commission to raise concerns about interference to fixed satellite service. “SIA noted its continued opposition to the Qualcomm petition, reiterating SIA’s view that Qualcomm’s proposed ... system will cause interference into the FSS satellite services that are primary in that band,” SIA said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/165FkLP). “SIA reviewed the ongoing importance of the Ku-band uplink bands to the satellite industry, noting that the industry has invested more than $20 billion to build, launch and operate more than 80 satellites with Ku-band capacity. These satellites generate more than $1 billion dollars in satellite services revenue in North America alone."

American Airlines sent a letter to the FCC supporting a rulemaking notice that would establish an Air-Ground Mobile Broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band. On Thursday, the FCC put out a notice saying the NPRM is still set for a vote at its Thursday meeting. “The service will be important to satisfying air travelers’ increasing demands for mobile broadband data,” the company said (http://bit.ly/ZsoOhx). “American Airlines agrees with the central premise of the Petition for Rulemaking that Qualcomm Incorporated filed asking the FCC to establish the new service -- that U.S. travelers need to have broadband access while they are in-flight that is equal to the level of access they have on the ground because broadband access via smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops, is valued by American travelers.” Qualcomm met with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on the notice (http://bit.ly/15ekFpi). The Satellite Industry Association had a series of meetings at the commission to raise concerns about interference to fixed satellite service. “SIA noted its continued opposition to the Qualcomm petition, reiterating SIA’s view that Qualcomm’s proposed ... system will cause interference into the FSS satellite services that are primary in that band,” SIA said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/165FkLP). “SIA reviewed the ongoing importance of the Ku-band uplink bands to the satellite industry, noting that the industry has invested more than $20 billion to build, launch and operate more than 80 satellites with Ku-band capacity. These satellites generate more than $1 billion dollars in satellite services revenue in North America alone."

American Airlines sent a letter to the FCC supporting a rulemaking notice that would establish an Air-Ground Mobile Broadband service in the 14.0-14.5 GHz band. On Thursday, the FCC put out a notice saying the NPRM is still set for a vote at its Thursday meeting. “The service will be important to satisfying air travelers’ increasing demands for mobile broadband data,” the company said (http://bit.ly/ZsoOhx). “American Airlines agrees with the central premise of the Petition for Rulemaking that Qualcomm Incorporated filed asking the FCC to establish the new service -- that U.S. travelers need to have broadband access while they are in-flight that is equal to the level of access they have on the ground because broadband access via smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and laptops, is valued by American travelers.” Qualcomm met with Commissioner Mignon Clyburn on the notice (http://bit.ly/15ekFpi). The Satellite Industry Association had a series of meetings at the commission to raise concerns about interference to fixed satellite service. “SIA noted its continued opposition to the Qualcomm petition, reiterating SIA’s view that Qualcomm’s proposed ... system will cause interference into the FSS satellite services that are primary in that band,” SIA said in an ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/165FkLP). “SIA reviewed the ongoing importance of the Ku-band uplink bands to the satellite industry, noting that the industry has invested more than $20 billion to build, launch and operate more than 80 satellites with Ku-band capacity. These satellites generate more than $1 billion dollars in satellite services revenue in North America alone."

The FCC plans to consider launching a rulemaking at its May 9 meeting that proposes giving federal earth stations operating with commercial satellites full protection from interference. The NPRM asks whether they should be put on a co-primary status, FCC officials said. The NPRM has a few different proposals on how to do that, an official said.

FCC officials say they're seeing little lobbying on an rulemaking notice set for a vote at the May 9 commission meeting on improving access to broadband on commercial flights. The NPRM would establish an Air-Ground Mobile Broadband service as a secondary-use in the 14.0-14.5 GHz Band. With the NPRM set to go on the Sunshine Agenda late Thursday, cutting off further debate, there have been only two ex parte filings in the last 30 days in the main docket, RM-11640. Qualcomm had meetings at the FCC late last week, but has yet to make ex parte filings, agency officials said. The Satellite Industry Association has set up meetings with some of the offices for later this week.

FCC officials say they're seeing little lobbying on an rulemaking notice set for a vote at the May 9 commission meeting on improving access to broadband on commercial flights. The NPRM would establish an Air-Ground Mobile Broadband service as a secondary-use in the 14.0-14.5 GHz Band. With the NPRM set to go on the Sunshine Agenda late Thursday, cutting off further debate, there have been only two ex parte filings in the last 30 days in the main docket, RM-11640. Qualcomm had meetings at the FCC late last week, but has yet to make ex parte filings, agency officials said. The Satellite Industry Association has set up meetings with some of the offices for later this week.

The Satellite Industry Association said its request for an additional 3 dB safety margin to protect satellite receivers from a next generation air-to-ground (ATG) service is to account for the fact that future continental U.S. (CONUS) coverage satellites “may use improved receivers with lower noise levels and/or CONUS beams which may have a slightly higher gain than those used by existing satellites,” it said in an ex parte filing in docket RM-11640 (http://bit.ly/WvhUMy). In the filing, SIA responded to the FCC’s questions on a previous SIA filing about Qualcomm’s proposed terrestrial-based, ATG operations in the Ku band. SIA also provided a list of U.S.-licensed satellites along with beam performance information requested by the commission. The filing recounts correspondence through email with SIA and International Bureau staff.

T-Mobile asked the FCC to dedicate at least 50 MHz of 3.5 GHz spectrum to licensed use by carriers. But the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) said the FCC’s proposed approach in a Dec. 12 NPRM to allocate the spectrum for unlicensed use by small cells is on the right track. NAB, NCTA and other groups raised interference concerns. The commission approved the NPRM at its December meeting. It looks at the future use of the 3550-3650 MHz band and how it could be shared with military and satellite operations already in place there. NTIA has identified the band for shared federal and non-federal use in its 2010 “Fast Track Report."

The Satellite Industry Association further urged the FCC not to complete the regulatory fee rulemaking before establishing fee amounts for this fiscal year. Accelerating the process will make it more likely that the easiest approach will be used, “violating both fundamental equity and the statute’s requirement that fee assessments be linked to underlying costs,” SIA said in an ex parte filing in docket 12-201 (http://bit.ly/Uog127). The NPRM is aimed at determining how the FCC will reform its processes for assessing fees in the Wireless, Media, Wireline and International bureaus (CD Oct 25 p8). The filing recounted a meeting with SIA, some of its members and staff from the Enforcement Bureau and the Office of Managing Director on the collection and assessment of regulatory fees. SIA and its members further emphasized that “given the magnitude of the regulatory fees paid today by satellite operators, any increase in existing fee levels is extremely problematic,” it said. Such an increase “directly affects the bottom line for satellite operators and must be budgeted in advance,” it said. The NPRM suggests that the only commission full-time employees (FTEs) who should be attributed to a class of licensees for regulatory fee assessment purposes are those who work in the relevant licensing bureau, SIA said: This ignores the number of FTEs in other commission bureaus and offices “whose work is solely or primarily focused on a specific group of fee payers."