SpaceX is claiming first choice in Ku-band home base spectrum in in-line events with other non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) constellations in the U.S. In an FCC International Bureau filing Wednesday, it said it initiated communication between its U.S. earth stations and NGSO constellation, making it the first Ku-band NGSO constellation in the Ku- and Ka-band processing round to operate. That gives it first choice on Ku-band frequencies during in-line events, it said. SpaceX requested coordination with all Ku-band NGSO systems in the processing round, as the ITU required.

Combinatorial clock auctions are used worldwide to avoid exposure problem of not getting enough spectrum in each area and sufficient geographic coverage, but they don't scale up well enough to applications as big as the anticipated C-band sale in the U.S., the C-Band Alliance said in an FCC docket 18-122 posting Thursday. It filed a white paper supplementing CBA's C-band auction proposal made public this week (see 1906110014). The group said the combinatorial clock auctions also impose large complexity costs. It said its auction proposal allows easy bid entry, reduced strategizing, eliminated real-time decision making, and a quick auction.

OneWeb had nearly six months to raise the interference claims now in its petition for reconsideration of the SpaceX constellation authorization and should have done so then, before SpaceX launched 60 satellites pursuant to that authorization, SpaceX said in an FCC International Bureau filing Monday. OneWeb asked the agency to rescind its modification order letting SpaceX put some satellites of its planned mega constellation into a lower orbit (see 1905310002). SpaceX said OneWeb's interference claims are meritless since at lower altitude fewer of its satellites will be in view -- reducing the number of in-line events -- and travel faster across the sky relative to ground stations, reducing the duration of in-line events. It said interference concerns about Ku-band gateway earth stations are groundless, but it would accept additional interference from authorized downlink communications to U.S.-licensed earth stations in the band. OneWeb didn't comment Wednesday.

After a bearish 2018 for the in-flight connectivity market -- with such metrics as contracts signed, installation rates and aircraft outfitted falling short of expectations -- 2019 could be more bullish, blogged Northern Sky Research's Claude Rousseau Sunday. Some challenges remain, such as that an in-flight system can cost as much as $1 million per aircraft and the lack of flat panel electronically steered antennas, he said. But the backlog of aircraft to outfit with high-throughput satellite capacity "is staggering," with around 3,000 expected in the next two years, the analyst said.

OneWeb and Virgin Orbit are disputing a termination fee supposedly owed the launch company after the satellite operator last year canceled, allegedly without cause. Virgin in a docket 19-cv-05243 breach of contract complaint (in Pacer) filed last week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said after canceling the contract in June 2018, the satellite operator paid Virgin $22.4 million for bills outstanding, but there's a $46.3 million balance remaining that includes the termination fee. It said OneWeb argued the $22.4 million should also count toward the termination fee. OneWeb didn't comment Friday.

Demand for non-geostationary orbit high-throughput broadband satellite service and capacity -- like that planned by SpaceX, Amazon, OneWeb and Telesat -- is growing but likely won't catch up to geostationary until 2028, Northern Sky Research said Wednesday.

Looking for information on alternatives to GPS-provided positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities, the Department of Transportation received input on a variety of systems that supposedly could fit that bill. Comments were due Monday at Regulations.gov. Globalstar and Echo Ridge said they're ready to do a field demonstration of PNT capability that could back up or complement GPS, operate independently of other global navigation satellite systems and require no new infrastructure. They said its augmented positioning system uses 24 low earth orbit Globalstar satellites and a series of its earth stations. Skyhook said its Wi-Fi-based system could provide hybrid location in populated areas that also use crowdsourcing to monitor GPS performance trends. Locata said its terrestrially based non-GPS system could cover all the traditional GPS functions needed for PNT services. Seven Solutions said its timing-only solution, using disparately located global navigation satellite system receiver sites, "would render local jamming and spoofing activities moot." Multiple filings weren't made public because of confidential business information. GPS is the best technology for precision navigation and timing requirements, and the industry supports looking at complementary technologies as long as they offer equivalent capabilities and performance, the GPS Innovation Alliance said. GPSIA said given the costs to develop those alternatives and potential limitations, federal resources should still be principally be directed at maintaining and improving the existing GPS system. Some possible alternatives came under fire. GPSIA said one possible complementary technology, eLoran, isn't accurate enough in navigation opposition data for many PNT functions like high-precision agriculture, surveying and intelligent transportation. Qualcomm said eLoran has problems -- its 10-inch square antennas are tough to house in mobile handsets and mobile devices generate high levels of low frequency noise in the 100 KHz rate in which eLoran operates. It said another possible approach, metropolitan beacon systems, would be limited to urban areas and need extensive network buildout and ongoing maintenance. DOT should keep in mind the wireless industry's network rerouting, device-based navigation and timing and cloud-based application capabilities to continue voice and data transmissions in the case of GPS outages when deciding the scope of need for GPS backup when it comes to wireless communications, CTIA said. It said any terrestrial backup will require substantial antenna deployments on U.S. wireless infrastructure, and DOT should be talking with tower company owners and operators about tower space availability and operational issues.

In a meeting with FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, the C-Band Alliance recapped its efforts at transparently describing aspects of its band-clearing plan and the enforceable interference protection rights satellite operators would have against co-primary terrestrial 5G, recounted a docket 18-122 posting Friday.

Having ignored evidence SpaceX's modified non-geostationary orbit broadband satellite constellation will "unquestionably worsen" the interference environment for other NGSO fixed satellite systems being authorized by the FCC, the agency should rescind its modification order, said OneWeb in an International Bureau petition for reconsideration and petition for condition last week. OneWeb said approving SpaceX to operate part of its constellation in a lower orbit of 550 kilometers while maintaining a similar satellite receive antenna gain (see 1904260071) makes it more susceptible to uplink interference, meaning band-splitting will happen more often and for longer periods and other NGSO operators will have less access to authorized spectrum. The FCC should at least condition SpaceX licensing on accepting additional interference caused by its orbit altitude modification and that in-line interference events from SpaceX’s increased susceptibility to interference should not result in band-splitting, OneWeb said. SpaceX didn't comment Friday. OneWeb lobbied against the license modification (see 1904030012).

Congress was clear in its intent when it enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and courts ignoring that, as well as the abusive practices it was trying to prevent, would be "dispiriting beyond belief," the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday. It upheld a $61 million class-action TCPA verdict against Dish Network. The docket 18-1518 order rejected Dish arguments challenging the class certification and Dish liability for improper calls placed by a telemarketing firm it hired, Satellite Systems Network. The decision by Circuit Judges Harvie Wilkinson and Robert King and U.S. District Judge Irene Berger sitting by designation was written by Wilkinson. Dish didn't comment Friday.