Megaconstellation milestones high on U.S. WRC-19 priority list 

Finding international consensus on deployment milestones for constellations of non-geosynchronous satellites is a top space-related priority for the U.S. delegation attending the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference, officials said Nov. 1. 

Senator pushes for FCC, not satellite operators, to run C-band auction

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said the FCC should be able to clear the spectrum just as fast as the C-Band Alliance, if not  faster, by holding a public auction.

SpaceX submits paperwork for 30,000 more Starlink satellites

The FCC, on SpaceX’s behalf, submitted 20 filings to the ITU for 1,500 satellites apiece in various low Earth orbits, an ITU official confirmed Oct. 15 to SpaceNews. 

Swarm of tiny satellites could relay messages by year’s end

Since 2017, Swarm Technologies has built, launched and operated nine miniature satellites, raised more than $28 million for a 150-spacecraft constellation and forged agreements with some 200 potential customers. The company’s most impressive accomplishment, though, isn’t on that list.

FCC commissioner defends C-Band Alliance but renews call for more 5G spectrum 

The Federal Communications Commission’s most vocal official on C-band spectrum rebuffed critics of a satellite industry proposal to repurpose some of the spectrum for cellular 5G through a private auction. 

SES, Viasat say FCC’s rural broadband latency requirements unfair to satellites

Satellite operators want to participate in a newly proposed $20.4 billion rural broadband program, but say the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s scoring criteria for signal lag puts them at a disadvantage. 

Satellite C-band is worth billions, but how many?

As the U.S. Federal Communications Commission prepares to decide how to reallocate some or all of the nation’s satellite C-band spectrum for the coming wave of 5G mobile communications services, experts say appraising the monetary value of the spectrum remains tricky. 

SpaceX says more Starlink orbits will speed service, reduce launch needs

SpaceX is asking federal regulators to allow it to spread out Starlink satellites in more rings around the Earth.

FCC’s streamlined licensing rules seen as boon for smallsat industry

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s streamlined licensing rules for small satellites sailed through a vote Aug. 1, establishing a path for companies to secure spectrum rights much faster and cheaper than current regulations allow. 

Op-ed | Small satellites are big business

With its unique alpha-to-omega regulatory sway over the satellite industry, the FCC plays an outsized role in shaping the nascent commercial space industry.

FCC outlines proposed smallsat licensing rules

Under newly proposed rules, smallsat operators will be able to choose a licensing path — for authorization as a domestic operator or for U.S. market access as a foreign operator — for $30,000 instead of the $472,000 fee required today for satellites in non-geosynchronous orbits. 

FCC to introduce new simplified licensing regulations for smallsats

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event here, said the regulations will make licensing small satellites cheaper and faster in order to better match cost and pace at which smallsat operators often function. 

U.S. Chamber Hosts FCC Chairman Pai for Smallsat Discussion

Small Satellite Integration: Implications for Encryption, Interference, and Deorbit Assurance

Please join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Procurement and Space Industry Council and the SmallSat Alliance on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, from 9…

Rival plan to C-Band Alliance calls for spectrum auction, fiber switchover for satellite broadcasters

Charter, ACA Connects and the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) on July 1 filed a counterplan with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, urging the commission to open 370 megahertz of satellite C-band spectrum through an auction.

Contact lost with three Starlink satellites, other 57 healthy

Three of the 60 satellites SpaceX launched last month to begin its broadband megaconstellation have lost contact with ground control teams, a SpaceX spokesperson said June 28. 

FCC dismisses studies of potential 5G interference with satellite weather observations

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission defended the use of spectrum for 5G wireless services while a key senator called for a hearing on potential interference such services could have with space-based weather observations.