The Federal Communications Commission has proposed new rules for the satellite sector, in an attempt to bring more order to the growing number of low-Earth orbit constellations. The US regulator sees the new satellites as a promising way to bring broadband to more people and promote competition. However, there are risks that the current 'first come, first served' licensing policy may create entrenched players and inhibit new entrants. The proposal put out for public comment seeks to facilitate more spectrum sharing and coordination, in order to limit interference and support competition.
When considering licence applications for non-geostationary satellite constellations, the FCC’s International Bureau initiates processing rounds during which all applications filed on time are considered together on an equal basis. The new proposal would establish rules to protect systems approved in earlier rounds while facilitating greater competition, the FCC said.
In addition, the proposal would limit the Commission’s existing spectrum sharing mechanism to those systems approved in the same processing round. It proposes requiring systems approved in a later processing round to protect the already approved systems, and seeks public comment on necessary protections.
The FCC also seeks comment on whether to sunset, after a period of time, the interference protection afforded to a satellite system because of its processing round status in order to encourage new market entry. The item further seeks public input on ways to facilitate coordination among satellite operators by requiring them to share specific information, such as satellite beam pointing information.
The FCC's latest action also grants in part and defers in part a rulemaking petition from SpaceX.
