Fuel for satellites used after launch into space is eligible for customs duty refunds, called drawback, because the launched satellite is considered to be exported, Customs and Border Protection said in a recently released ruling. Drawback is allowed for goods imported into the U.S. that are unused or quickly exported. Thales Alenia Space asked CBP about drawback eligibility for satellite propellant, which "is solely utilized to power a satellite’s thruster system after the satellite has been launched into orbit and activated." CBP considers satellites and components "exported for drawback purposes despite the satellite’s exportation destination not being within a foreign country," said the agency. "Due to the commercialized technology and business conditions of communications satellite manufacture and launch, the definition of exportation includes satellites that are launched into permanent orbit from the territory of the United States by private entities." Thales also sought input on what documentation is necessary to prove export through launch. "Submission of multiple documents corroborating the fact and date of exportation, describing the merchandise, and identifying the ultimate purchaser of the satellite may serve as sufficient proof," the agency said.

Hughes' unveiling of its new Jupiter service with dramatically lower pricing per unit of data capacity should end any speculation that satellite pricing declines have stabilized, Summit Ridge Group said in a blog post Thursday. Recapping last week's Satellite 2017, Summit said the cost per unit of throughput in satellite manufacturing is falling, with the benchmark for new systems now being $1 million per Gbps of throughput. It also said what had been small indications that satellite investments in customer applications and software so as to stimulate demand for high-throughput satellite capacity have "spilled out into the open" with such announcements as Intelsat's investment in Kymeta.

Inmarsat, which operates as a commercial accounting authority between earth or coast stations and ships engaged in international maritime mobile communications, is backing an FCC proposal to end its role as an accounting authority, though the Coast Guard raised some questions about the commission ending that role. Tuesday was the deadline for comments on a Further NPRM about accounting authority (see 1701030002), with replies due April 13. Inmarsat in comments posted Wednesday in docket 98-96 said any FCC move might require longer than a one-year transition and that the agency needs to eschew any new regulations on commercial entities that still operate as accounting authorities. It said current FCC rules on private accounting authorities about nondiscrimination among customers and reasonability of fees have been enough to ensure accounting authority services have been widely available and competitive. It said the FCC shouldn't make service provider and accounting authorities let users designate an accounting authority on a per-call or per-message basis if their systems can't accommodate such activities. The Coast Guard agreed with the FCC presumption that most maritime mobile satellite users can accommodate such a change but said it's unclear how the communications agency will accommodate those unaware of commission plans. It said the one-year transition suggested by the FCC "may be the absolute minimum of time necessary to properly notify all affected users," and there should be some disclosure of how the regulator plans to convey its plan to such interested parties as those that don't have contractual arrangements with Inmarsat or other private accounting authorities. The Coast Guard said there's little evidence a competitive market exists for accounting services in the maritime sector, raising concerns about possible anticompetitive conduct. It said the FCC should lay out procedures for mariners to file complaints on issues like discriminatory practices and unreasonably high costs.

With Intelsat 35e scheduled for a May 15 launch, the company is seeking permission for in-orbit testing and the satellite's drift to its permanent home at 34.5 degrees west. In an FCC International Bureau filing Tuesday for special temporary authority, the company said the testing should last 45 days and the drift from 33 degrees west would take five. It said it's working on coordination now with multiple operators of satellites that will be within six degrees of the in-orbit testing location and that it expects to finish those discussions before testing starts.

While waiting for authorization to operate 6,000 Ku-band broadband service vehicle- and vessel-mounted flat-panel earth stations (see 1702240014), Kymeta wants to start limited commercial trials this spring and summer. An FCC International Bureau application Monday sought special temporary authority for 60 days starting May 15 to operate up to 15 of its vehicle-mounted KyWay1 terminals and up to another five on watercraft. The company has talked about the antennas being targeted at high-throughput connectivity applications including broadband in multiple industries.

Satellite operators are pushing the FCC for more time to respond to suggested updates to Part 2 and Part 25 rules to accommodate the boom in non-geostationary orbit constellation plans. In a docket 16-408 filing posted Monday, the satellite companies said moving the reply deadline by 14 days, to April 10, would make sure there's enough time to address the "complex technical propositions that will require significant effort to analyze." The joint motion was filed by Boeing, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium, OneWeb, SES/O3b and Telesat Canada. Initial comments were received last month (see 1702280018).

Non-geostationary orbit satellite operators should have to share ephemeris data, such as current and predicted location, as a route to avoiding in-line interference, but the FCC needs to be flexible about how that data sharing happens and not require the operators to be part of any particular data-sharing organization, Planet Labs Director-Launch and Regulatory Affairs Mike Safyan told International Bureau personnel, according to an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 16-408. The agency is looking at proposed ephemeris data sharing requirements as part of its Part 2 and 25 rules update NPRM (see 1612150066).

Comments are due April 3 to Canada's Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) agency on proposed changes to the country's non-geostationary orbit licensing rules. A public notice last week said ISED is considering a limit on the number of licenses given per frequency band to some commercial systems, changes to the nation's coverage and capacity requirements, eliminating coexistence as an assessment criteria, and possible ways to address domestic frequency coordination disputes. ISED also said it's looking for input on clarification of satellite first-come, first-served licensing rules.

Dish's Sling TV made its Cloud DVR service available to subscribers using Amazon Fire devices, it said in a news release Thursday. Sling announced the Cloud DVR service in 2016 for Roku users (see 1611280058).

Eutelsat will be Blue Origin's first commercial launch customer, with the inaugural launch likely in 2021, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Eutelsat CEO Rodolphe Belmer announced Tuesday at Satellite 2017. Bezos said Blue Origin's aim is to significantly reduce launch costs through both operational reusability and the expertise the company gains by multiple flights of its New Shepard suborbital space tourism launches. He said Blue Origin is focusing on reclaiming its launch boosters through vertical landings, instead of parachutes, because that new approach is particularly scalable to larger booster rockets. And Bezos said by lowering launch costs, satellites “will be less precious; you will be able to take more technology risks.” The result “will be a much larger industry," he said.