SpaceX's Proposed 2nd-Gen Constellation Plans Against FCC Rules: Amazon

SpaceX's requested amendment to the pending application of its second-generation broadband constellation would violate FCC rules by giving it two mutually exclusive configurations of orbital parameters for about 30,000 satellites, Amazon representatives told the FCC International Bureau, per an ex parte filing Wednesday. Nearly every major detail in the amendment is unsettled, such as altitude and even the total number of satellites, Amazon said. FCC rules "require that SpaceX settle the details of its proposed amendment before filing its application -- not after," it said. In the proposed amendment filed last week, SpaceX said giving information on both configurations now lets the FCC evaluate both, and that it will notify the agency later which of the two configurations it wants to deploy. It said neither proposed configuration requires additional spectrum nor increases the risk of harmful interference.