Intelsat To Pay $12,000 To End Satellite Queue Transfer NAL

Intelsat will pay a $12,000 fine to resolve an FCC investigation into whether the satellite company improperly let another take its place in the line for reviewing satellite authorization applications, the Enforcement Bureau said in an order posted Wednesday. The investigation began in 2011, after Intelsat applied for a license to operate a new Ka-band satellite and then sold to ViaSat rights to operate a Ka-band satellite in the location for which Intelsat had applied for the license, the bureau said. The agency issued a notice of apparent liability (NAL) in 2013 (see 1312160053), carrying with it a possible $112,500 fine. Under the order, along with that smaller fine, Intelsat also will craft in the next 60 days a compliance plan "designed to ensure further compliance with the Satellite Queue Transfer Rule," including a compliance manual and employee compliance training. The order said it also cancels the NAL.