The satellite industry is continuing its push for rule changes for the FCC spectrum frontiers NPRM. In an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 14-177, the Satellite Industry Association recapped a meeting it and numerous members had with Commissioner Ajit Pai about industry concerns on the idea of spectrum sharing in and among the 28, 37 and 39 GHz bands, including that earth stations should have co-primary status in the 28 and 39 GHz bands, as SIA has previously advocated (see 1601290010). At the meeting with Pai were SIA President Tom Stroup and executives from Boeing, EchoStar, Intelsat, Iridium, Kymeta, Lockheed Martin, O3b, OneWeb, SES, SpaceX and ViaSat.

The satellite industry is continuing its push for rule changes for the FCC spectrum frontiers NPRM. In an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 14-177, the Satellite Industry Association recapped a meeting it and numerous members had with Commissioner Ajit Pai about industry concerns on the idea of spectrum sharing in and among the 28, 37 and 39 GHz bands, including that earth stations should have co-primary status in the 28 and 39 GHz bands, as SIA has previously advocated (see 1601290010). At the meeting with Pai were SIA President Tom Stroup and executives from Boeing, EchoStar, Intelsat, Iridium, Kymeta, Lockheed Martin, O3b, OneWeb, SES, SpaceX and ViaSat.

Global semiconductor sales slipped 0.2 percent in 2015 to $335.2 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association said. December sales fell 4.4 percent from November to $27.6 billion and 5.2 percent versus December 2014, SIA said. Q4 sales dropped 5.2 percent to $82.9 billion, it said. Factors affecting sales: softening demand, strength of the dollar and normal market trends, SIA CEO John Neuffer said. Among segments, logic was the largest semiconductor category with 27 percent market share, or $90.8 billion in revenue, in 2015. Memory devices had $77.2 billion in sales, followed by micro-ICs, including microprocessors, at $61.3 billion, sensors and actuators ($8.8 billion), NAND flash ($28.8 billion) and analog ($45.2 billion). Optoelectronics was the fastest growing category with 11.3 percent growth, it said.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon agree on the importance of high-frequency spectrum to 5G, they commented on an FCC spectrum frontiers NPRM. The wireless industry was more or less united, urging that the 28, 37 and 39 GHz band spectrum be set aside for licensed use (see 1601270062). New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge offered an alternative, suggesting the bands be allocated to a spectrum-sharing regime, similar to the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band. Several satellite companies, and some of their groups, worried about the proposals. The filings were in docket 14-177.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon agree on the importance of high-frequency spectrum to 5G, they commented on an FCC spectrum frontiers NPRM. The wireless industry was more or less united, urging that the 28, 37 and 39 GHz band spectrum be set aside for licensed use (see 1601270062). New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge offered an alternative, suggesting the bands be allocated to a spectrum-sharing regime, similar to the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band. Several satellite companies, and some of their groups, worried about the proposals. The filings were in docket 14-177.

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon agree on the importance of high-frequency spectrum to 5G, they commented on an FCC spectrum frontiers NPRM. The wireless industry was more or less united, urging that the 28, 37 and 39 GHz band spectrum be set aside for licensed use (see 1601270062). New America’s Open Technology Institute and Public Knowledge offered an alternative, suggesting the bands be allocated to a spectrum-sharing regime, similar to the 3.5 GHz shared spectrum band. Several satellite companies, and some of their groups, worried about the proposals. The filings were in docket 14-177.

Citing concerns about being elbowed out of the Connect America Fund Phase II competitive bidding process, the satellite industry is pushing the FCC to ensure that satellite is evaluated on equal footing with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). "The FCC has a longstanding policy favoring technology neutrality for CAF that has served the public interest resulting in increased innovation, service quality and reduced costs to consumers," the Satellite Industry Association said in a filing Tuesday in docket 10-90. Due to such satellite innovations as high-throughput space stations and broadband via nongeostationary constellations, SIA said, "It would be a mistake for the FCC to abandon such a policy now."

Satellite companies continue to lobby on proposed Part 25 rule changes before the FCC's expected vote Thursday. In an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 12-267, the Satellite Industry Association said it urged in meetings with representatives of Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Ajit Pai that the commissioners back the Part 25 report and order on the Dec. 17 meeting agenda. SIA said there has been no opposition to its proposals in the docket, including the FCC submitting the appropriate ITU filing for a geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite for non-planned fixed satellite service spectrum bands before requiring a full FCC application be filed, and that the agency should expand the proposal to allow ITU filing before a license application for all GSO and nongeostationary (NGSO) satellite operations in satellite service frequency bands. SIA also supported streamlining the milestones and bonds rules, saying the agency shouldn't increase bond amounts and should streamline the critical design review (CDR) milestone by allowing use of such evidence as the CDR meeting agenda and minutes. Iridium in its own ex parte filing posted Friday said the FCC proposal that a bond be posted when ITU papers are filed for a satellite system or network as means for facilitating that ITU filing shouldn't apply to NGSO since the commission already allows for NGSO applications to be forwarded without a bond filing to ITU. The industry has also been lobbying in recent days on proposed changes to two-degree spacing rules (see 1512100026).

The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) is calling House passage of the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act "an important step to maintaining U.S. innovation and leadership in satellite launch." The bill would extend the commercial space launch indemnification regime -- which offers government indemnification for any damages in excess of the required private launch insurance limits -- through 2025, and the Senate has already passed similar legislation, SIA said Tuesday. “Extending the launch indemnification regime for a further 10 years ensures the continuation of a long-standing provision needed for the global competitiveness of U.S. launch services companies,” SIA President Tom Stroup said in a statement.

Not all industry interests are pleased with provisions in the Mobile Now spectrum package from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D. He unveiled a revamped draft Friday, less than a week before its scheduled 11 a.m. Wednesday markup. The satellite industry is leading the charge against language that would force the FCC to complete an inquiry within three years of enactment on whether and how the agency should apply rules for sharing from the 3550-3650 MHz bands to the 3700-4200 MHz bands.