Satellite Operators Continue Drive for Spectrum Frontiers Draft Amendments

Office of Engineering and Technology at which it said it generally supports the draft, suggesting a tweak to facilitate deployment of gateway-type Earth stations designed to share spectrum. It rejected claims spectrum sharing the 37.5-40 GHz band would hamper terrestrial mobile service growth. ViaSat told an aide to Commissioner Mike O'Rielly it wants more flexibility for deployment of some protected earth stations. SES/O3b in meetings with aides to O'Rielly, Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn sought changes to the numerical limits on earth stations per county or partial economic area. The company said grandfathered earth stations shouldn't be included in the population limits. SpaceX asked the FCC to clarify that company, whose deployments don't encumber upper microwave flexible use services (UMFUS) as defined by power flux density limits championed by wireless companies, be given flexibility to locate earth stations. It asked the agency to clarify that 28 GHz satellite Earth station operators be allowed to obtain waivers on gateway earth station constraints on showing the gateway doesn't cover any population in the relevant UMFUS license area. The company said the FCC should further clarify that, pursuant to such a waiver, a Ka-band satellite earth station wouldn't count toward broader Ka-band Earth station siting limits.