Intelsat slightly raised its estimated C-band Phase I clearing expenses, while SES, Telesat and Embratel said they are done with Phase I or on the cusp, in FCC docket 18-122 accelerated clearing transition plan updates last week. Intelsat said the $10 million increase, to $1.76 billion, was driven by higher customer migration and compression expenses and telemetry, tracking and control/gateway relocation and ground system grooming plan costs. Its update increases the estimate of cable headends and cable antennas receiving Intelsat customer transmission and thus will need some retuning or repainting in the migration plan. Its estimate was 460 headends and 1,800 antennas; now it's 2,500 total headends and 10,000 antennas. SES said it's transitioned all services out of the 3700-3820 MHz band exclusive to the contiguous U.S. Estimated costs are unchanged. Telesat expects to complete the 3.7-4 GHz clearing in one swoop this week, instead of in two phases. Embratel said the transponder used for C-band services on its Star One C1 satellite is no longer operational and the satellite itself will cease operations by Oct. 9 and be deorbited.

SES/O3b arguments that non-geostationary orbit systems should be required to share their equivalent power flux density calculation results from ITU's valuation system (see 2109210004) would mean the FCC dropping its rules regarding EPFD limits for NGSOs and letting competitors be sole arbiters of a rule conflicting with the ITU's, SpaceX told the FCC International Bureau Thursday. While NGSO operators might wish ITU validation software didn't contain so many unfavorable assumptions about interference potential, "no one -- not SES/O3b, GSO operators, or NGSO operators -- has the unilateral right to dictate a different analysis or a different EPFD standard," it said. SES/O3b didn't comment Friday.

Intelsat's requested license transfers as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization (see 2108270001) are being reviewed by the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecom Services Sector said in FCC docket 21-375 Friday.

Eutelsat turned down a takeover offer from Altice founder and controlling shareholder Patrick Drahi that would have valued the satellite communications company at about $14 per share, Eutelsat said Thursday.

Telesat, SpaceX, Kepler and OneWeb withdrew their reconsideration petition asking the FCC to take a second look at its May order creating two categories of non-geostationary orbit regulatory fees (see 2109170045), said a docket 21-190 withdrawal Thursday. A satellite regulatory lawyer told us the FCC effectively ruled on the petition issue with its FY 2021 fees order in August (see 2108270072), which endorsed the 20%-80% NGSO fees subcategories and thus implicitly endorses the principle of having a split.

Critics of SpaceX's requested amendment to the pending application of its second-generation broadband constellation can't show where it didn't provide any necessary information but instead argue it provided too much information about an alternate configuration for the constellation, the company told the FCC International Bureau Wednesday. It said the argument the agency shouldn't put out the amendment for public comment "is both extraordinary and unprecedented."

The FCC "permissibly and sensibly" harmonized interference standards with ITU's, requiring SpaceX to get ITU OK as a condition of a license modification, while Dish Network wanted its own interference studies that used methodologies different from FCC mandates, SpaceX told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Tuesday in an intervenor brief (docket 21-1123, in Pacer). Dish, Viasat and Balance Group are challenging SpaceX's license mod (see 2106020036). SpaceX said no authority backs Viasat and Balance's bid "to gut" categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act. It said even if possible environmental impacts of its Starlink constellation fall within NEPA, FCC OK includes SpaceX orbital debris mitigation and reporting conditions to ensure high Starlink satellite reliability. Outside counsel for the appellants didn't comment Wednesday.

Orbcomm's $1.1 billion acquisition by investment firm GI Partners is complete, Orbcomm told the FCC International Bureau Tuesday in a consummation notice. The agency signed off on Orbcomm's license transfers in August (see 2108110003).

RS Access, which urged opening the 12 GHz band for 5G services, is continuing to lobby the FCC's eighth floor, said a docket 20-443 filing Wednesday on a meeting between CEO Noah Campbell and an aide to acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. It gave a presentation similar to ones given earlier this month to aides to Commissioners Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks.

Certifying it completed its Phase I C-band accelerated clearing work, Eutelsat in docket 18-122 Tuesday asked for FCC validation of the certification and for the agency to direct the relocation payment clearinghouse to issue its accelerated relocation payment. It said it no longer provides any C-band downlink services to customers in the contiguous U.S.