Satellite Sees Spectrum Challenges for WRC-19

Technology neutrality and convincing regulators about spectrum needs are among challenges the commercial satellite communications industry faces, satcom regulatory officials said at a University of Nebraska space law conference Friday. Lack of regulatory certainty for new space ventures was bemoaned.

The 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference is focused on freeing up spectrum for 5G. There needs to recognition other technologies are in those bands, said EchoStar Senior Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Manner. She said the U.S. is going to WRC-19 with a position on some bands that’s in- consistent with domestic policy. With clients wanting higher speeds, operators need more capacity, which means additional spectrum, she said.

Gerry Oberst, SES senior vice president-global advocacy, said satellite is hard-pressed to convince regulators internationally about spectrum needs when it often has far less of a presence on the ground than phone companies. Some regulators globally have difficulty with convergence issues like spectrum allocated for fixed satellite service being used for earth stations in motion, said OneWeb Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Ruth Pritchard-Kelly

Satellite often is treated differently in spectrum allocation because regulators “understand this bet- ter,” Manner said, gesturing with her smartphone. She said satcom regulations are often more burdensome and more subjective. She said a big focus for the industry at WRC-19 is on the millimeter wave band agenda item and trying to ensure satcom has spectrum access “in a fair and balanced manner.”

Harmful interference issues rarely rise to the level of involving regulators and are often solved by a phone call to the party causing the interference, Manner said: “Space is a gentleman’s world.” But 5G could strain that model. The FCC and ITU have taken the position there won’t be aggregate interference from 5G, but satellite operators are far less confident, Manner said.

The FCC sees aggregate interference “as a tomorrow problem” and satellite operators are further hampered by difficulty in showing the rise in noise floor affects satellites, Oberst said. Proving harmful interference from 5G requires innumerable wireless devices being on the market first, and by then, likelihood of getting those removed is nil, added Pritchard-Kelly.

Asked about making more than 200 MHz of C band available, Oberst said the C-Band Alliance is “aggressively” seeking ways to offer more. He said a draft order on either November’s or December’s FCC agenda seems equally plausible. Some expect something on the Dec. 12 agenda (see 191010005).

Pritchard-Kelly said some C-band reallocation for 5G is realistic in the U.S. or Europe, but that doesn’t work globally, with it particularly important for satellite use in rainier regions due to the spectrum’s propagation characteristics. She said transitioning needs to take that into consideration.

New space ventures like satellite servicing and commercial space stations are suffering because insurers and prospective investors want regulatory certainty, and its lack is chilling, said Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee Chairman Mike Gold. The private sector needs regulatory clarity, transparency and speed, but the U.S. regulatory system is “far from that right now,” he said.

The commercial space industry was disappointed with the first draft of the Commerce Department’s proposed new remote-sensing rules regime but has “a great deal of faith” the agency wants to make improvements, Gold said. DOD and intelligence community pushback is concerning, he said, and companies might start looking overseas for friendlier regulatory environs. “This is opening up an opportunity for other countries,” he said. In multiple areas, the U.S. is “losing the policy race,” he said.

Gold said Congress isn’t likely to step in soon, with NASA reauthorization a bigger priority than a commercial space regulatory bill. Blue Origin Deputy General Counsel Audrey Powers said there hasn’t been much talk in months on Capitol Hill about pending commercial space legislation.

Asked about the FCC orbital debris proceeding as parallel but separate from Commerce’s rules update, Gold said debris needs a “whole of government approach” and to be dealt with expeditiously before a disaster leads to crisis-driven rules. Powers isn’t confident the debris issue will be tackled quickly.