ARRL: AST Has Yet to Justify Use of 430-440 MHz
AST SpaceMobile still hasn't justified why it wants to use the 430-440 MHz band for commercial satellite telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) purposes, ARRL told the FCC Wednesday. AST's request "is completely outside the scope of domestic and international allocations for this spectrum" and should be denied, the group said (docket 25-201). Amateur radio interests globally have opposed AST's plans to use the swath of spectrum for TT&C (see 2507210031). ARRL noted that AST also hasn't analyzed the interference potential to amateur radio service, nor has it shown a shortage of spectrum allocated for TT&C.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
AST said none of the objections provide a basis for denying or delaying approval of additional TT&C authority. They also don't raise new claims that the FCC can't address by license conditions, the company added. AST has "thoughtfully designed" its proposed satellite system to mitigate interference to UHF-band amateur radio, and it's proposing "very limited, non-routine TT&C use" of the 430-440 MHz band only during launch, early orbit and emergency operations when other frequency bands are unavailable.