If the executive branch had followed through over the past 16 years on its assertions there needs to be more protection for U.S. GPS and precision navigation and timing capabilities, FCC approval of Ligado's terrestrial L-band use (see 2004200011) "would be a minor issue, if an issue at all," with few GPS users affected, the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation blogged. The Ligado dispute should be a wakeup call for the need for better protection of GPS and its users, it said Tuesday.

Norway's Kongsberg Satellite Services wants the FCC to make clear that its proposed regulatory fees for foreign-flagged satellites (see 2004220048) wouldn't be imposed on those accessing a U.S. earth station just for telemetry, tracking and control and data acquisition when that data isn't going to a U.S. customer. That's according to a docket 19-105 posting Wednesday on company talks with the Satellite Division and letters to commissioners and division staff.

The kind of regulatory fee burden the FCC is considering "can be fatal" to small satellite operators and might force early stage ones to either close or move to other licensing jurisdictions, Spire Global said in a docket 19-105 posting Tuesday. A non-geostationary orbit operator with a license and a U.S. market grant like Spire would see its fees go from $154,875 in 2019 to $618,950 in 2020, it said. Spire called "unreasonable and not supported by law" the FCC argument that its past interpretation of its statutory authority to not allow charging regulatory fees on satellites licensed in other jurisdictions is possibly erroneous. An order charging foreign-licensed satellite operators regulatory fees is on the commissioners' May 13 agenda (see 2004220048).

Swarm wants to double its non-voice, non-geostationary satellite system plans from 150 satellites to 300, it said in an FCC International Bureau modification application Monday. The application asked for OK to use additional VHF frequencies. It said the need for more satellites is driven by increasing commercial and government demand for IoT and machine-to-machine mobile satellite service connectivity. The agency authorized the NVNG constellation plans in 2019 (see 1910180003). Separately, Swarm sought to permission add onboard propulsion, which would increase the mass of the satellites, and to operate at a wider range of orbital altitudes. The company said that would allow quicker deployment of services. Swarm also seeks U.S. market access for a planned 450-satellite NVNG constellation (see 2003020002).

The FCC's earth stations in motion order on commissioners' May 13 agenda (see 2004220048) doesn't address the interference risk from ESIMs in the 28.35-28.6 GHz band to terrestrial operations in the adjacent 27.5-28.35 GHz upper microwave flexible use service (UMFUS) band, Verizon and U.S. Cellular told staffers, recounted a docket 17-95 posting Tuesday. They urged a Further NPRM on interference risk. The carriers said the mobility of ESIMs makes predicting interference difficult, and adding non-geostationary ESIMs into the 28 GHz band would "upend" traditional routes of resolving interference between adjacent band fixed satellite service earth stations and UMFUS operations. The companies said an FNPRM should ask about good limits or regulatory steps to protect adjacent band 28 GHz UMFUS operations, and appropriate measures for protection of adjacent band UMFUS operations such as guard band use or out-of-band emission limits. Among those the companies met with were International Bureau Chief Tom Sullivan, aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and the other commissioners, and Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff.

Lockheed Martin joined the GPS Innovation Alliance, the group said Friday.

With Hughes to maintain and operate the third-generation network of Global Communications Infrastructure nuclear and seismic activity monitoring sites for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, Ulitsat asked the FCC International Bureau OK to transfer 11 earth station licenses to Hughes. In an application Tuesday, Ultisat said it obtained the licenses while it operated and maintained the second-generation GCI.

Charging foreign-flagged satellites U.S. regulatory fees would ensure U.S. operators don't subsidize benefits those non-U.S. licensed systems get, EchoStar/Hughes and Intelsat representatives told aides to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O'Rielly and staffers from the Office of Managing Director and International Bureau. That's according to docket 19-105 postings (see here and here) Tuesday. Rebalancing cost allocations between geostationary and non-geostationary satellite operators ensures GSO operators' fees better reflect the agency's work, they said. The May 13 commissioners' meeting agenda includes a draft order charging foreign-licensed satellite operators (see 2004220048).

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied NTCH's rehearing ask of the court's largely siding with the FCC as the unsuccessful bidder sought undoing of Auction 96 (see 2004020050), per a docket 18-1241 order Tuesday. NTCH outside counsel Don Evans of Fletcher Heald emailed they're still thinking about next steps, but the D.C. Circuit ruling remanded part of the case to the FCC so there will be proceedings at the agency on the open issues. Dish participated in bidding and in the case.

SES and Telesat representatives, meeting with FCC Wireless and International Bureau and Office of Economics and Analytics staffers, discussed C-band clearing procedural issues, per a docket 18-122 posting Monday. Issues included how the Wireless Bureau will evaluate challenges to a satellite operator’s certification of accelerated relocation, the possibility those operators start earth station clearing efforts before the deadline for submitting accelerated relocation elections, and whether a satellite operator that didn't meet the relocation deadline would have to repay relocation reimbursements.