WASHINGTON — David Hartshorn, one of the satellite industry’s most vocal advocates and a prominent defender of its spectrum rights, is resigning from the Global VSAT Forum.
GVF announced April 19 that Hartshorn, who has led the organization for the past 20 years, will be stepping down.
Hartshorn represented the satellite industry at numerous regulatory events, including past World Radiocommunication Conferences — quadrennial global gatherings of the worlds spectrum leaders to affirm or reallocate finite spectrum resources for bandwidth-hungry telecommunications services. He also supported efforts to reduce satellite interference and to address the challenge of space debris.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we would like to express our appreciation for Mr. Hartshorn’s decades of service,” Arunas Slekys, GVF’s board chairman, said in an April 19 statement. “The industry achievements realized during his tenure have been remarkable… and have set the stage for GVF’s next chapter. We also extend our gratitude to Angie Mar, Director of International Programs, who will be pursuing new opportunities after serving for five years with the association.”
GVF members encompass the entire industry from large satellite operators to small independent teleport operators and user terminal manufacturers. The organization was founded in 1997.
Hartshorn did not immediately respond to SpaceNews inquires about his upcoming departure.
GVF is currently seeking replacements for Hartshorn and Mar, the organization said. Hartshorn will stay onboard until at least May to support the transition, GVF said.
