As the number of nongeostationary orbit satellites (NGSOs) in orbit or planned for launch rises, the role of geostationary orbit satellites (GSOs) is coming into question. "Over time, we'll see a shift" to NGSOs, Whitney Lohmeyer, OneWeb communications systems and regulatory engineer, said Friday as the FCBA's International Telecommunications Committee held a brown bag lunch panel talk about NGSO regulatory issues. Most services that a GSO satellite can provide, an NGSO can do as well but with lower latency, Lohmeyer said. However, said panelist Audrey Allison, Boeing director-frequency management, "we're not getting out of [the GSO] business. [NGSO] is an important supplement." But, she said, that GSO companies like EchoStar are investing in NGSOs "is pretty telling." GSO fits some niches, like video distribution, better than NGSO, said panelist Suzanne Malloy, O3b vice president-regulatory affairs. "The introduction of a new technology doesn't mean everything old is retired," Malloy said. A Boeing NGSO system is in the design stage now with the idea that holders of existing fixed satellite service spectrum allocations could be getting more use out of that spectrum through NGSOs, Allison said. OneWeb expects the first launches of its 648-satellite constellation to start in 2017 and has applications worldwide with numerous nations for the 50-150 gateways it needs, Lohmeyer said. It also is working on developing a terminal that operates both with GSOs and NGSOs, she said: "It'd be ideal, but it's challenging." And O3b has 12 NGSO satellites in orbit serving more than 40 customers in 20-plus countries, and is planning for eight more satellites, Malloy said. When asked about regulatory reforms the panelists would like to see, Malloy said the FCC's Part 25 rules tend to be both GSO-oriented and "very specific" on technical issues like antenna performance, which complicates changing the rules as NGSO regulations would have to be just as granular. Allison said Boeing's "particular pet peeve" is wanting to see better rules regarding milestone compliance -- an issue the Satellite Industry Association also brought up in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-267 (see 1509230022). SIA called on the FCC to simplify the critical design review (CDR) milestone, saying the routine submission requirement of CDR information both prolongs review and raises the danger of inadvertent disclosure of sensitive competitive information.

Small satellites pose their own regulatory issues and should be handled separately from the FCC's current look at changes to the Part 25 rules for earth and space station licensing, the Satellite Industry Association said in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-267. SIA said it is considering filing a petition for rulemaking specifically regarding small satellites. A parade of satellite industry representatives met with International Bureau staff to lay out industry proposals for Part 25 changes, the filing said. Present at the meeting were executives from or representatives of Boeing, DirecTV, EchoStar, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium, Kymeta, OneWeb, O3b and SES, said SIA, which said the satellite industry "urged the Commission to move expeditiously" on an order. Among the industry-proposed changes are the recommendation the FCC should go further in its proposal that it file with the ITU an operator proposal for a geostationary satellite (GSO) for non-planned fixed satellite service (FSS) bands before a full space station application needs to be filed, SIA said. The FCC should allow ITU filings before license applications for non-geostationary (NGSO) operations in non-planned FSS bands as well as for GSO and NGSO operations in bands outside of FSS, SIA said. Current ITU filing practices put domestic applicants at a competitive disadvantage as they must disclose detailed space station plans before the FCC will file with the ITU, meaning operators have a disincentive to obtain U.S. licensing of new satellite systems, SIA said. The SIA group also told IB staff some technical rules "could be simplified, and in some cases relaxed" to help get products to market faster, though the changes would not materially increase the risk of interference.

If the FCC undertakes rulemaking regarding use of frequencies above 24 GHz for mobile services, including the 42-43.5 GHz band, it should look to answer a slew of policy and technical questions, such as what the 5G system characteristics are that can be used to look at the sharing environment, said the Satellite Industry Association in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 14-177. It lists more than two pages of suggested 5G, propagation, satellite, inter-service sharing, cumulative interference and licensing questions. They range from whether in certain bands 5G networks could be limited to indoor-only use to minimize interference to what are the prospects of developing user devices that can operate across the bands spanning 24-95 GHz and even above that might be used for 5G services. When looking at propagation models, SIA asked, should the FCC use the free space loss model to calculate interference, or are there other models that should be tested? It also said the FCC might want to inquire about technical parameters of the earth station types deployed or in the works in the frequency bands under consideration, and how sharing between satellite earth stations and 5G systems might work. And as it looks at cumulative interference, the FCC might need to ask about compatibility models or studies that look at cumulative 5G interference, SIA said.

If the FCC undertakes rulemaking regarding use of frequencies above 24 GHz for mobile services, including the 42-43.5 GHz band, it should look to answer a slew of policy and technical questions, such as what the 5G system characteristics are that can be used to look at the sharing environment, said the Satellite Industry Association in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 14-177. It lists more than two pages of suggested 5G, propagation, satellite, inter-service sharing, cumulative interference and licensing questions. They range from whether in certain bands 5G networks could be limited to indoor-only use to minimize interference to what are the prospects of developing user devices that can operate across the bands spanning 24-95 GHz and even above that might be used for 5G services. When looking at propagation models, SIA asked, should the FCC use the free space loss model to calculate interference, or are there other models that should be tested? It also said the FCC might want to inquire about technical parameters of the earth station types deployed or in the works in the frequency bands under consideration, and how sharing between satellite earth stations and 5G systems might work. And as it looks at cumulative interference, the FCC might need to ask about compatibility models or studies that look at cumulative 5G interference, SIA said.

If the FCC undertakes rulemaking regarding use of frequencies above 24 GHz for mobile services, including the 42-43.5 GHz band, it should look to answer a slew of policy and technical questions, such as what the 5G system characteristics are that can be used to look at the sharing environment, said the Satellite Industry Association in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 14-177. It lists more than two pages of suggested 5G, propagation, satellite, inter-service sharing, cumulative interference and licensing questions. They range from whether in certain bands 5G networks could be limited to indoor-only use to minimize interference to what are the prospects of developing user devices that can operate across the bands spanning 24-95 GHz and even above that might be used for 5G services. When looking at propagation models, SIA asked, should the FCC use the free space loss model to calculate interference, or are there other models that should be tested? It also said the FCC might want to inquire about technical parameters of the earth station types deployed or in the works in the frequency bands under consideration, and how sharing between satellite earth stations and 5G systems might work. And as it looks at cumulative interference, the FCC might need to ask about compatibility models or studies that look at cumulative 5G interference, SIA said.

DBS operators and toll-free number responsible organizations will begin paying FCC regulatory fees, while radio and TV stations could see notable changes in what they pay in the future. That is according to the FCC's FY 2015 fee order and Further NPRM released Wednesday.

Satellite and pay-TV companies continue to urge protection of C-band satellite operations from small cell operations now approved to operate in the same part of the 3.5 GHz band. While opportunities for spectrum sharing are increasing, satellite operators need to make sure they can operate in the C-band with sufficient protected access, Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, Inmarsat senior vice president-government strategy and policy, told us: "It's all about good neighbors and technical compatibility."

Satellite and pay-TV companies continue to urge protection of C-band satellite operations from small cell operations now approved to operate in the same part of the 3.5 GHz band. While opportunities for spectrum sharing are increasing, satellite operators need to make sure they can operate in the C-band with sufficient protected access, Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, Inmarsat senior vice president-government strategy and policy, told us: "It's all about good neighbors and technical compatibility."

The Chinese government has “increasingly pursued policies” to obstruct U.S. industry access to the Chinese information and communications technology (ICT) sector over the past nine months, said 19 associations in a recent letter to President Barack Obama. BSA | The Software Alliance, CEA, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, Telecommunications Industry Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others urged Obama to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease those barriers during a bilateral September summit in Washington. Chinese national security policy, as well as other motivations, have led to “a new program to acquire or indigenize U.S. semiconductor technology,” “new restrictions on cross-border data flows” and several other restrictive measures, said the Aug. 11 letter. “The United States and China should reaffirm their commitment to open markets, particularly in the ICT sector, recognizing the significant benefits that both countries enjoy from integration into global ICT industry value chains.” The groups want other ways to strengthen cooperation among the two countries. The letter said China adopted the restrictive measures since Jinping's last visit to Washington in November 2014.

The Chinese government has “increasingly pursued policies” to obstruct U.S. industry access to the Chinese information and communications technology (ICT) sector over the past nine months, said 19 associations in a recent letter to President Barack Obama. BSA | The Software Alliance, CEA, Computer & Communications Industry Association, Information Technology Industry Council, Semiconductor Industry Association, Telecommunications Industry Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others urged Obama to pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease those barriers during a bilateral September summit in Washington. Chinese national security policy, as well as other motivations, have led to “a new program to acquire or indigenize U.S. semiconductor technology,” “new restrictions on cross-border data flows” and several other restrictive measures, said the Aug. 11 letter. “The United States and China should reaffirm their commitment to open markets, particularly in the ICT sector, recognizing the significant benefits that both countries enjoy from integration into global ICT industry value chains.” The groups want other ways to strengthen cooperation among the two countries. The letter said China adopted the restrictive measures since Jinping's last visit to Washington in November 2014.