SpaceX’s Starlink has submitted an application to the FCC for permission to test a smaller antenna for its broadband-by-satellite service. The application asks for a temporary licence to test 5 new user terminals (in California, Colorado, Texas, Utah and Washington State). These new designs will use the same uplink and downlink frequencies as a conventional […]
Intelsat and SES, the two largest operators of C-band frequencies over the US, have completed Phase 1 of their clearance of spectrum by the important June 1st deadline. It means that the two, plus Eutelsat and Telesat of Canada, can qualify for the FCC’s initial end-of-year pay-out of some $2 billion in so-called incentive payments. […]
California-based satellite broadband supplier Viasat has filed an objection to the FCC’s granting of $885 million to SpaceX and its Starlink satellite service. The FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) awarded the sum to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service in December 2021. The award was part of a massive $9.2 billion granted to successful applicants, and […]
A slew of objectors is grumbling to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system. We have reported on Viasat’s complaints, but SES, Hughes Network and others are also arguing for the FCC to either suspend or modify its April 27th permission for SpaceX/Starlink to alter their orbital plans. Some of the […]
California-based satellite operator Viasat has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stop – or at least pause – SpaceX from launching any more of its Starlink satellites. Last month the FCC ruled that SpaceX could modify its licence and place some satellites into different orbits than originally permitted. The request to the FCC from […]
Ottawa-based Telesat is sitting on some valuable C-band spectrum, and completely favours selling off some of that spectrum itself. The sale of 200 MHz of capacity would generate cash to help pay for its fleet of Low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, called Lightspeed. Telesat’s CEO Dan Goldberg told analysts that it would like to handle […]
Reporting on Intelsat’s Chapter 11 reconstruction is not helped by the slew of daily Motions and Filings made to the company’s bankruptcy court, nor by the conflicting arguments lodged by the varied interested parties. Yours truly is assisted in this revision by a source close to the action. There are two important strands: The first […]
The FCC has unanimously adopted final rules to implement the Emergency Connectivity Fund Programme. This $7.17 billion programme, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, will enable US schools and libraries to purchase laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and broadband connectivity for students, school staff, and library patrons in need during the […]
Intelsat’s bankruptcy court ordered that a mediator be appointed to try and find more common ground between the disputing pair. That has now happened. SES and Intelsat informed the court on May 11th that the two litigants met on April 29th and agreed both the appointment and scope of the referees authority. The two parties […]
The first-quarter results from satellite operator SES were buoyant, and helped by a commitment to buy in €100 millions-worth of its own shares for cancellation helped boost SES’s share price by almost 10 percent. At the end of the day the shares were up 9.3 per cent to – a still miserable in some eyes […]