Satellite Operators Lobby FCC on Regulatory Fee Proposal
The FCC made a mistake when it put a greater portion of satellite regulatory fees on the backs of non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) licensees, reducing the burden on GSO licensees, and should reverse the unfair allocation, SpaceX told an aide to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. In a docket 24-85 filing posted Tuesday, SpaceX said that if the agency instead goes forward with its proposed alternative regulatory fee methodology for satellites, it should use a logarithmic scale rather than relying on the size of a constellation.
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In meetings with the offices of Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Nathan Simington and Anna Gomez, Planet Labs, Spire Global and HawkEye 360 representatives said the FCC's proposed change to satellite regulatory fees should adjust the initial fee/satellite tier from 1-100 NGSOs to 1-500. That would be consistent with past commission determinations that earth exploration satellite service systems such as theirs required fewer FCC resources, the satellite operators said. They also said the FCC should clearly define that for regulatory fee purposes, an operator's authorized satellites means those authorized to operate in orbit simultaneously. The agency has been getting feedback on ideas floated but not adopted during the FY 2024 space regulatory fee proceeding (see 2502260017).