Satellite communications faces a period of consolidation, with vertical integration and horizontal solidification going hand in hand, Northern Sky Research analyst Joseph Ibeh blogged Tuesday. Driving it is the increased amount of capacity, with operators relying on more sales to compensate for price erosion, plus declining video revenue and the competitive threat from non-geostationary orbit satellites, he said. He said smaller companies with cash problems will need to combine or declare bankruptcy.

Though backing a requirement of maneuverability above the International Space Station, small-satellite operators urged the FCC not to mandate that the maneuverability requirement include propulsion. In a docket 18-313 post Monday, Planet Labs, Myriota, Spire Global, Loft Orbital Solutions, Care Weather Technologies, Hiber and Totum Labs said collision-avoidance standards should be technology neutral. Dismissing differential drag as an option "is unwarranted and premature," they said. If there's a propulsion requirement, it should exempt smaller systems as determined by total fleet mass, not number of satellites, they said.

Intelsat urged the FCC to prod the Dutch government about its coordination obligations for a Netherlands-authorized Spectrum Five satellite. In a docket 20-399 post Monday, Intelsat said Spectrum Five's leased satellite use caused harmful interference to Intelsat's Ku- and C-band operations and the planned testing it told the FCC about in advance of a customer buying capacity on that satellite could cause more. Outside counsel for Spectrum Five, which petitioned the FCC to revoke two Intelsat satellite licenses (see 2012010057), didn't comment.

Any U.N. resolution on behavioral norms for commercial activity in space must recognize it's Congress that passes laws in the U.S., not the executive branch, space lawyer Laura Montgomery blogged Monday. She said a March 5 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken from House Science Committee ranking member Frank Lucas, R-Okla., and House Space Subcommittee ranking member Brian Babin, R-Texas, appears to also make that point. The letter said the White House not coordinating with the House Science Committee as it tries to reach new U.N. agreements on space "could create confusion, complicate the enactment of statutes implementing such proposals, and conflict with existing statutes, policies, and constitutional rights."

Congress clearly didn't mean the National Environmental Policy Act to apply to space, since it refers only to the human environment and biosphere, so Viasat "does not come close" to overcoming FCC categorical exclusion for NEPA, SpaceX told the International Bureau Thursday. It opposed Viasat's petition for the agency do a NEPA review of SpaceX's pending license modification (see 2102050003). SpaceX said it's "striking" Viasat didn't raise NEPA concerns with other mega constellations such as Amazon's or its own pending license modification. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recognizes that deployment of a mega constellation like SpaceX's Starlink "would be a 'game-changer' negatively impacting space safety," Viasat emailed us. "Aerospace Corporation tells us that the impact on the atmosphere must be evaluated. A UN working group of astronomy experts tells us that the situation has 'taken a perverse turn as indifferent radio spectrum regulators authorize the launch of mega-constellations.' It is clear that the Biden-Harris Administration cannot turn a blind eye to these concerns.” SpaceX said Hughes questions about supposed noncompliance with equivalent power flux density limits (see 2103080033) were brought up months ago by another operator and addressed. It said it doesn't plan to have more than one satellite communicate with a gateway in any frequency at a time in the 19.7-20.2 GHz portion of the Ka-band.

FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington should discuss with the International Bureau actions the agency could take about SpaceX's "blatant attempt" to put gateway earth stations near OneWeb's previously authorized gateways, OneWeb representatives told the commissioner, per a docket 20-443 post Thursday. "This collocation appears purposeful and the very opposite of good faith coordination negotiations." OneWeb said the FCC should ask RS Access to file its technical study that supposedly shows the feasibility of satellite and terrestrial 5G sharing of the 12 GHz band, so parties can respond. SpaceX and RS Access didn't comment.

Dish Network can't cite evidence showing SpaceX's pending lower-orbit license modification (see 2007140001) will violate ITU equivalent power flux density limits, so the company instead argues SpaceX's network would do so if it were operated differently, SpaceX said in a docket 20-443 FCC post Wednesday in response to a Dish-commissioned study (see 2102160012). SpaceX said it will operate as laid out under its license terms, not how Dish hypothesizes. It said Dish not citing any actual EPFD limit violations is its own "tacit admission that none exist." Dish Executive Vice President-External and Legislative Affairs Jeff Blum emailed that SpaceX has yet to refute "the premise, methodology, or conclusion of Dish's expert analysis, which is based on SpaceX's own data. Dish's study shows that SpaceX's proposed system in the 12 GHz band would likely violate the EPFD limits adopted by the ITU and the Commission for the protection of [direct broadcast satellite] customers, including the millions of U.S. households served by DISH. SpaceX has been authorized to use 15,000 megahertz of spectrum outside of the 12 GHz band. If the Commission decides to grant SpaceX’s Third Modification, it should exclude the 12 GHz frequencies."

Guidance on outstanding issues on funding the C-band clearinghouse by incumbent C-band satellite operators "would be extremely helpful," SES told the FCC, recapped a docket 18-122 post Wednesday on calls with acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel aides and the Wireless Bureau. It didn't specify the issues. SES said the five incumbent operators signed a funding letter to the clearinghouse setting out procedures for the entity's funding and processing of relocation payments to those companies.

Eutelsat won't require compression or other technology upgrades to keep providing the “same or better” transportable fixed earth station service in the U.S. in the 4-4.2 GHz band after the C-band repack, representatives told FCC Wireless and International Bureau and Office of General Counsel staffers, per a docket 20-173 post Wednesday.

The pending petition to add a mobile satellite service (MSS) allocation in the 2020-2025 MHz band and ditch the current fixed service and mobile service allocations (see 2012220049) would put the U.S. at odds with other ITU regions, including administrations in Region 2, Omnispace told an aide to acting FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, per an RM-11869 post Wednesday. It said allocating 2020-2021 MHz for MSS downlinks flies in the face of Region 2 MSS allocations for uplinks in the 2020-2025 MHz band. It said MSS satellites provide voice and data services in the band the petition urges designating solely for non-voice non-geostationary small satellite use.