FCC
FCC asks for more input on C-band
The request, issued May 3, suggests it is increasingly unlikely that the agency will make a decision in the first half of the year as satellite operators had previously expected.
FCC OKs lower orbit for some Starlink satellites
U.S. telecom regulators approved a request from SpaceX to lower the orbit of nearly 1,600 proposed broadband satellites.
Commerce Dept. sends White House 13 space-focused spectrum recommendations
The U.S. Commerce Department on March 26 sent a report to the White House declaring sufficient access to radio frequency spectrum critical for a healthy domestic space industry, but avoided weighing in on contested spectrum issues within the space and telecommunications industries.
FCC: we won’t rush C-band decision
Federal Communications Commission officials urged patience with the repurposing process for satellite C-band spectrum, saying regulators are more concerned about getting it right than rushing the process.
Lawmakers urge FCC to postpone March 14 spectrum auction
Leaders of the House Science Committee and three House Appropriations subcommittees are calling on the FCC to delay the auction of 5G radio frequency spectrum scheduled for March 14 due to concern about interference with space-based weather sensors.
5G trumps weather in spectrum debate
Less than a week before a Federal Communications Commission auction of radio frequency spectrum for 5G, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai clearly expressed impatience with the weather community’s ongoing concerns about interference and requests to modify the U.S. government’s position.
Shutdown’s toll mounts for NASA and companies
A partial government shutdown now nearly five weeks old is affecting a growing number of space companies and organizations as well as the agencies themselves shuttered by the lapse in funding.
Op-ed | NewSpace must be regulated
Move fast and break things, the mantra of Silicon Valley startups, has now spread to the space sector with Swarm Technologies going as far as breaking the law.
Swarm, after FCC blunder, hires satellite regulatory veteran Kalpak Gude
In an interview, Gude said he is not Swarm’s mandated compliance director, but will be helping Swarm navigate through the global regulatory landscape as its general counsel and head of regulatory affairs.
FCC fines Swarm $900,000 for unauthorized smallsat launch
Swarm Technologies will pay $900,000 to settle an investigation by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission into the startup’s launch of four picosatellites on an Indian rocket this January without regulatory approval, the FCC announced Dec. 20.
C-Band Alliance plan would require 5G networks to pay for eight new satellites
The two largest members of the C-Band Alliance would each need four new satellites in order to continue providing telecom services in the U.S. if the Federal Communications Commission accepts its C-band plan, the group said Dec. 19.
C-Band Alliance members promise to buy American for new satellites under C-band plan
Members of the C-Band Alliance have stipulated that they will only buy U.S.-built satellites to replace any capacity lost through the transfer of some C-band spectrum to cellular operators for 5G, a move that could position their plan more favorably with the White House and Congress.
FCC moves forward with orbital debris reform amid soul-searching about its responsibilities
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission pressed forward with plans to firm up its rules about space safety and orbital debris Nov. 15 while at the same time questioning whether it is the right agency to do so.
FCC approves SpaceX, Telesat, LeoSat and Kepler internet constellations
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted Nov. 15 to approve four proposed satellite constellations, authorizing nearly 8,000 small telecom satellites to serve U.S. entities from low Earth orbit.
FCC to seek comment on revised orbital debris guidelines
The FCC will vote this week to considerproposed changes to orbital debris guidelines that could alter deployment plans for some satellite constellations and shorten the orbital lifetime for experimental satellites.
C-Band Alliance doubles spectrum offer to 200 megahertz
Members of the C-Band Alliance on Oct. 22 increased the amount of spectrum they are willing to part with in the United States, aligning their plan more closely with that of the Federal Communications Commission as a deadline for input looms.
