Eutelsat CEO Warns FCC About Terrestrial C-Band Use Concerns

Verizon's plans to use C-band spectrum terrestrially starting in Q1 2023 in some markets poses "a profound risk of harmful interference" to incumbent satellite users, Eutelsat CEO Eva Berneke told FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington in a series of meetings recapped Wednesday in docket 18-122. Eutelsat urged the agency to issue a framework for satellite operators to certify completion of the second phase of the C-band accelerated relocation process, as terrestrial transmissions in the band pose a threat to any unfiltered earth stations. In docket 20-173, Telesat said the C-band relocation coordinator is requesting that Telesat and other eligible satellite operators transition a percentage of antennas/feeds that hadn't been associated with any particular operator as they're discovered in the operator outreach program. Telesat said it has been transitioning its assigned share and working on transition of some antennas/feeds the relocation coordinator identified as pointing at Telesat satellites but not receiving signals from them.