A chief goal of SpaceX's proposed satellite test is validation of a broadband antenna communications platform design that will be part of the final constellation design, the company said in an FCC Office of Engineering and Technology filing posted Wednesday. SpaceX said it plans to use three broadband array test ground stations on the West Coast to test its Ku-band tests for less than 10 minutes a day on average every 0.9 days. To avoid any signal interference, the microsatellites to be tested will at times reduce the Ku transmission power or at times quit Ku downlink emissions entirely, it said. The company in its filing also clarified its collision avoidance plan, saying it would work with the Joint Space Operations Center on cataloging satellites before launch and making orbital parameters available to it. SpaceX's proposed satellite tests in advance of a low earth orbit constellation providing a global broadband service have seen pushback from Intelsat, because that company has raised concerns about Ku-downlink interference and collision risks (see 1509110013).

The FCC International Bureau is asking for fresh comments on possible means for mitigating ground path interference between direct broadcast satellite feeder link earth stations and earth stations receiving signals in the same 17.3-17.7 GHz band, it said in a notice published Wednesday. The FCC said it allocated that spectrum to broadcasting satellite service (BSS) and fixed satellite service uses, including use in feeder links, and then proposed rules in 2007 to mitigate what it saw as potentially increasing interference in populated areas with 17/24 GHz reverse band BSS subscriber antennas. "Since considerable time has passed," the IB said in its notice, it's seeking updates and additional comments on docket 06-123.

XM Radio is seeking a 180-day extension of the license given for the XM-1 satellite's retirement and relocation plan. In an FCC International Bureau filing Tuesday, XM Radio said its original drift plan -- from 115.25 degrees west to 39 degrees west, set to start in mid-June with orbit-raising maneuvers starting in mid-October -- couldn't be met due to problems with earth stations the company and its affiliates planned to use for fleet management and to free up a tracking antenna. The drift now is scheduled to start Oct. 15, with the two-week orbit-raising maneuvers to start sometime between late February and late April. The original license term was granted in April and expires Nov. 22, with XM Radio asking for an extension to run through May 20.

SiriusXM and the NFL signed a six-year extension of their satellite broadcasting and marketing agreement, they said Wednesday. Through the partnership, SiriusXM carries every NFL game live, they said.

The Satellite Industry Association is urging Congress to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. Without it, SIA President Tom Stroup said in a statement Tuesday, "U.S. commercial satellite manufacturers are increasingly uncompetitive in a global marketplace where foreign buyers account for roughly 75 percent of all commercial satellite sales." Numerous satellite companies have complained about loss of Ex-Im in recent weeks (see 1509210026). According to SIA, since the bank's virtual shutdown July 1, U.S. companies have seen at least three commercial satellite orders withdrawn and the U.S. has not been able to take part in some other competitions. "This is just the tip of the iceberg," Stroup said. "In the highly competitive commercial satellite manufacturing market, support from export credit agencies (ECAs) can be the difference between the winning proposal and a competitive one. And in some cases, ECA support is a required component of the proposal. The longer the Ex-Im Bank remains closed, the greater the damage will be to U.S. satellite manufacturers and the hundreds of local businesses that supply them."

AT&T signed an agreement with Host Hotels & Resorts and hospitality industry technology firm GuestTek to bring DirecTV programming to Host-owned Marriott hotels, the telco said Wednesday. The added in-room entertainment is happening now through Q2, the company said. AT&T has been pushing DirecTV services in a variety of ways since completing its buy of the direct broadcast satellite company this summer (see 1508030030).

The FCC doesn't need interim milestones to keep satellite companies from "warehousing" spectrum or orbital resources, and should eliminate them or at least make them optional, EchoStar said in a letter posted Wednesday in docket 12-267. A bond or corporate guarantee, and "a reasonable limit" on the number of licensed satellites that are not yet operational would prevent warehousing, EchoStar said in its filing, which included a list of suggestions as the FCC considers changing its Part 25 rules. EchoStar also suggested eliminating the "three-strike rule" for operators with a pattern of missing milestones and that there shouldn't be a three-strike rule at the ITU stage, arguing it similarly doesn't prevent warehousing but instead motivates applicants not to seek space station authorizations. It argued for letting satellite operators have "a reasonable number" of advanced publication information (API) filings pending before submitting an application, saying such a number -- such as five in each band -- would prevent warehousing but still accommodate larger operators "who may need access to several new orbital locations." The FCC should adopt a reverse/escalating bond because that would motivate licensees to return licenses as soon as it's clear they won't be used, and opt for corporate guarantees instead of bonds in some situations, EchoStar said, though it said it believes the FCC lacks legal authority to impose a bond at the API stage. The company also backed keeping the two-degree spacing rule and made some technical recommendations.

LightSquared and the FCC are discussing possible solutions to GPS/LTE compatibility worries about "concepts of flexible use," LightSquared said in an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 12-340. According to the filing, Reed Hundt -- representing LightSquared in the meeting with Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Analysis Chief Jonathan Chambers and Senior Economist Evan Kwerel and with Policy & Rules Division Deputy Chief Michael Ha -- also said "market-based mechanisms" for retrofitting existing devices are a route to protection of the Global Navigation Satellite System band.

Intelsat plans to drift its Intelsat 805 satellite from 55.5 degrees west to 169 degrees east, the company said in an FCC International Bureau filing Friday. The drift -- subject to FCC approval -- is expected to start Dec. 1 and take roughly three months, Intelsat said. The relocation follows the transfer of traffic to its recently launched Intelsat 34, and Intelsat 8 -- currently at 169 degrees east -- will be relocated, with FCC approval, the company said.

Eutelsat and Facebook plan to use Spacecom's forthcoming AMOS-6 satellite as the foundation for joint plan to provide broadband services to much of Sub-Saharan Africa, Eutelsat said in a Monday news release. AMOS-6 is to launch by year end, and Eutelsat and Facebook will share its entire broadband capacity as part of the dedicated system they planned, which also includes gateways and terminals that would provide community and direct-to-user Internet, Eutelsat said. The companies will provide a variety of fixed and mobile Internet services, the satellite company said. Eutelsat said it's establishing a London-based company -- headed by former Tiscali International Network CEO Laurent Grimaldi -- to oversee its African broadband plans and business targeting the premium and professional segments.