Satellite Industry Continues Lobbying on Part 25 Rules Changes as FCC Vote Nears

Satellite companies continue to lobby on proposed Part 25 rule changes before the FCC's expected vote Thursday. In an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 12-267, the Satellite Industry Association said it urged in meetings with representatives of Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Ajit Pai that the commissioners back the Part 25 report and order on the Dec. 17 meeting agenda. SIA said there has been no opposition to its proposals in the docket, including the FCC submitting the appropriate ITU filing for a geostationary orbit (GSO) satellite for non-planned fixed satellite service spectrum bands before requiring a full FCC application be filed, and that the agency should expand the proposal to allow ITU filing before a license application for all GSO and nongeostationary (NGSO) satellite operations in satellite service frequency bands. SIA also supported streamlining the milestones and bonds rules, saying the agency shouldn't increase bond amounts and should streamline the critical design review (CDR) milestone by allowing use of such evidence as the CDR meeting agenda and minutes. Iridium in its own ex parte filing posted Friday said the FCC proposal that a bond be posted when ITU papers are filed for a satellite system or network as means for facilitating that ITU filing shouldn't apply to NGSO since the commission already allows for NGSO applications to be forwarded without a bond filing to ITU. The industry has also been lobbying in recent days on proposed changes to two-degree spacing rules (see 1512100026).