Satellite Operators Urge Clear Separation of OneWeb Petition, Rules Updates

ViaSat and OneWeb want to ensure that OneWeb's petition for U.S. market access, which is to be voted on at Thursday's FCC meeting, is kept separate from the agency's ongoing look at updating some satellite rules. ViaSat, in a series of ex parte meetings in recent days with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai, and Commissioners Mike O'Rielly and Mignon Clyburn, and with International Bureau staff (see here, here, here and here) pushed for various edits to the draft order. The company argued numerous statements in the draft reach conclusions about issues subject to pending updates to Part 2 and Part 25 rules for nongeostationary orbit (NGSO) constellations, and that the petition could be acted on in ways that don't set up conclusions that are potentially precedential. ViaSat said its requested edits involve whether some ITU provisions the FCC hasn't adopted still satisfy agency obligations to protect Ka-band geostationary orbit constellations from Ka-band NGSO interference. OneWeb also is arguing for a demarcation between its petition and the FCC's ongoing NGSO rulemaking. OneWeb Senior Director-Regulatory Affairs Mariah Shuman told IB acting Chief Tom Sullivan that any issues about NGSO systems should be dealt with in the ongoing NGSO rulemaking, and there shouldn't be any decisions on such items in connection with the OneWeb petition, said an ex parte filing posted Friday. O3b, in a filing last week, also proposed several changes to the OneWeb draft order. The OneWeb item is expected to get a favorable 3-0 decision (see 1706120036).