RF Device Licensing Needs to Include Use in Outer Space: Axiom

The FCC needs to make clear that commercially available off-the-shelf RF devices, particularly those operating at low power, are authorized for operation in outer space, said Axiom Space in a filing posted Friday in docket 13-115. Axiom plans to build a commercial addition to the International Space Station. Commercial space flight will face an undue burden if the FCC requires licensing for every two-way compatible consumer device, while the likelihood of harmful interference to terrestrial devices from low-power unlicensed devices "is vanishingly small," it said.