NRAO Warns of US Becoming Junk Satellite Application 'Dumping Ground'

The FCC needs to make clear that any satellite operation waiver in bands without an international allocation must be on a noninterference, non-protection basis, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory said Friday in docket 22-411. It said a condition on any such waiver is that nonconforming applications don't contain frequency assignments subject to ITU "additional allocation" rules. Waivers also should be conditioned on demonstrating unwanted emissions won't generate harmful interference in bands subject to the ITU rules, and compatibility "should be based on demonstrations of good evidence, not good faith," it said. Warning the U.S. is "becoming a dumping ground for the world’s junk satellite applications," NRAO said the commission "should apply more lenient acceptance criteria only to domestic applicants and domestic-licensed payloads, if at all."