The Satellite Industry Association and Global VSAT Forum issued a set of cybersecurity core principles that they say should be central to private and public sector cybersecurity efforts. The three principles are an endorsement of "voluntary, industry-led efforts and public-private partnerships" as the best route to address cybersecurity; a plug for voluntary information sharing "free from fear of adverse consequences"; and a call for satellite industry groups to tackle cybersecurity issues "using industry best practices for risk management," the trade groups announced Thursday.

Globalstar is pitching its revised broadband terrestrial low-power service (TLPS) proposal in a series of meetings and calls with FCC officials. In an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 13-213, the company recapped meetings between representatives including Vice President-Finance, Business Operations and Strategy Tim Taylor and General Counsel Barbee Ponder with legal aides for Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel, Ajit Pai and Mignon Clyburn. The company said it used those meetings to assert that its revised proposal (see 1611100031) should take care of any remaining interference-related concerns regarding its operations below 2483.5 MHz and how they might affect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and that its TLPS at 2483.5-2495 MHz would have to meet the interference obligations laid out in Part 25 rules. The company also said its latest proposal should address any policy issues stemming from its now-abandoned plan to use 10.5 MHz of unlicensed spectrum. In an ex parte filing, the company recapped phone conversations with International Bureau Satellite Division Chief Jose Albuquerque and Office of Engineering and Technology Deputy Chief Ron Repasi in which it pointed out it would be required to protect other licensed systems from harmful interference while its TLPS wouldn't be entitled to interference protection from other authorized operations, and that its revised proposal follows the power and emissions limits and gating criteria in the NPRM.

In the interim before it reaches its goal of a constellation of 900 cubesats put in orbit over 15 years (see 1511240022), Spire Global is asking the FCC International Bureau for approval to deploy up to 100 satellites in its Lemur-2 constellation next year. In an application amendment filed Monday, the maritime and meteorological monitoring and earth imaging services company said that interim step comes as the company has run into "complications in the completion of coordination for the frequencies" originally proposed for its Lemur-2 constellation. Monday's filing comes after the bureau in October approved Lemur-2's Phase I of up to 28 non-geostationary satellites, though it deferred action on Phase II and said that based on feedback from NTIA, future nonfederal satellite licenses using the 402-403 MHz band for downlinks would "only be exceptionally considered." It also didn't approve Spire using 402-403 MHz downlinks to four of its earth stations. In its application amendment, Spire said it was looking to add various downlinks and uplinks "to increase the flexibility it has to coordinate spectrum use with existing users." In Phase 1B, Spire said it wanted authorization to add 2200-2290 MHz and 401-402 MHz downlinks and 399.9-400.05 MHz uplinks to the frequencies allowed, as well as multiple receive-only frequencies. In Phase 1C, Spire said it also wanted authorization for addition of the 449.75-450.25 MHz uplink frequency. The company said it plans to launch its 100-satellite Lemur-2 constellation over the course of 16 separate launches in 2017, with each satellite having an operational lifetime of up to two years and an orbital lifetime of, at most, 12.8 years at the highest orbit sought, 600 kilometers.

L-3 Electron Technologies joined the Satellite Industry Association, the trade group announced Tuesday. Part of L-3 Communications' Space & Power sector, it makes hardware, including traveling wave tubes and electric propulsion systems for space and military applications.

Looking to boost its presence in the aviation market, ViaSat purchased Irish aviation software company Arconics, it said in a media release Monday. The companies had a partnership revolving around wireless in-flight entertainment offerings, and post-acquisition, the satellite company said it plans on offering airlines "real-time insight, control and agility of aircaft and flight data."

Intelsat wants to relocate its Intelsat 9 satellite and use it for two additional years. In an FCC International Bureau filing Friday, the satellite company asked for a modification of the Intelsat 9 authorization to let it relocate from 43.1 degrees west to 29.5 degrees west. It said the drift is expected to take about two months, with operations at 29.5 degrees west expected to start around May 1. Intelsat 9 would take the place of Intelsat 701, which is currently at 29.5 degrees west and is expected to de-orbit in Q2, Intelsat said. Intelsat 9's current license term is set to expire July 31 and the company said it wanted to extend that term through July 31, 2019.

AT&T buying Time Warner is likely the first in a series of transactions that combine spectrum, networks and scale in video, Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen said Wednesday during the company's Q3 earnings call. "You can imagine all the interesting things that might take place once this current auction is over," Ergen said. "If someone puts all the pieces together, and AT&T is on the path to do that, people on the sidelines have to do something different," he said, adding that Dish lacks the network leg of the stool. Ergen also said that while over-the-top services have huge growth potential, they also carry some business challenges. "OTT in general has the potential to be as big or bigger" than direct broadcast satellite, he said. "It's the next way to watch TV." But the ease of switching providers could create challenges for content providers, he said. A ruling from U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit regarding the designated entity appeal of the FCC decision on AWS-3 bidding credits (see 1601130062) should come sometime in the first half of 2017, Ergen said. There likely will be handsets that use Band 66 -- which includes AWS-3 spectrum -- before there's a network using the spectrum, Dish executives said. They said Qualcomm is shipping Band 66 chipsets, and Intel is likely to follow, while LG's V20 phone also supports the Band 66 configuration. Dish said the expectation is more Android devices will adopt it in 2017, though timing is murkier for iOS. In a note to investors, Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet said the company's cash flow statement suggests a broadcast spectrum auction deposit of about $1.5 billion, meaning Dish could end up buying up to 100 MHz of nationwide spectrum. He also said that incumbent telcos have stretched balanced sheets, leaving Dish "as the only way [to] buy significant spectrum for equity."

Iridium's L-band Next satellite constellation could end up integrated into a number of Ka- and Ka-band constellations, providing a backup data route, CEO Matt Desch said Wednesday at a Wells Fargo investor conference. Satellite operators like OneWeb, SES and Intelsat "see us as a complement for them, a potential partner" with integrated networks, Desch said. He said given that OneWeb doesn't provide safety services and its bent pipe configuration means it has only spotty coverage until its entire satellite network is built out, dual-mode Iridium and OneWeb terminals could make sense. OneWeb didn't comment. Desch also said the company expects the first launch of its Next satellite constellation -- delayed by a September explosion during a preflight ignition test (see 1610270015) -- to come in December. After that 10-satellite launch, a second launch of 10 satellites should follow in about 90 days, he said, with the entire constellation in orbit by early 2018. Iridium's existing 800,000-plus subscribers won't notice any transition to the Next constellation, with satellites with longer design lives, more channels and higher waveforms than the current constellation, Desch said. He said the company will focus on such markets as safety services and maritime and aviation connectivity, staying away from the broadband mass market, which will see sizable amounts of capacity becoming available in the next five years. Desch also defended the company against criticisms by L-band rival Inmarsat that Iridium has overstated the data speeds Next could provide, saying such companies as Rockwell and L-3 wouldn't be building terminals for it if there was no market.

Among potential EchoStar concerns as the company reported quarterly results Tuesday are some FCC and other regulatory proceedings, along with business issues relating to its devices. "Our customers face emerging competition from other providers of digital media and potential government action preventing them from using security systems in connection with set-top boxes," the company said in an SEC filing, which noted that Dish Network is a top customer; both companies are controlled by their Chairman Charlie Ergen. "The FCC is considering adopting regulations enabling consumer electronics manufacturers, innovators and other developers to build devices or software solutions that may provide access to multichannel video programming with the use of user interfaces and without the use of any set-top box." That unlock-the-box proceeding has encountered slow going, with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler just before commissioners' Sept. 29 monthly meeting putting off a vote on a draft order. Discussions have been continuing (see 1610180052). Demand for EchoStar's satellite TV digital set-tops from Dish and other customers "will likely continue to decline and we may not be able to sustain our current revenue levels," it said. In July, the company wrote, it decided to end offering consumer security and home automation products and services that were introduced this year. In a section of its filing on risks, the FCC set-top proceeding and spectrum frontiers order were cited, as some of the Ka-band spectrum where EchoStar operates broadband gateway earth stations has been enabled for 5G. Other countries "are also considering regulations that could limit access to the Ka band," EchoStar noted. Carriers and satellite interests aren't in full agreement on technical rules related to an ongoing spectrum frontiers proceeding (see 1611010044). The company didn't immediately comment further to us Tuesday. For Q3, the set-top maker reported that sales fell 2.4 percent to $742.3 million from the year-ago quarter as profit rose 32 percent to $37.4 million. In a quarter that was largely as expected, Hughes broadband subscribership declined by about 12,000 to 1.02 million "as the firm’s satellites have reached capacity in certain areas," Citigroup analysts wrote investors. "Citi forecasts flat subscriber growth for the year."

Univision programming will be included on new AT&T streaming service, DirecTV Now, as part of a “multiplatform distribution agreement,” the broadcaster said in a news release Tuesday. DirecTV Now will offer Univision stations, Univision Network, UniMás, Galavisión, UDN (Univision Deportes Network) and the Fusion network, it said. The agreement includes TV Everywhere provisions and will allow U-Verse and DirecTV customers to stream Univision's live and VOD content, that company said. DirecTV Now will launch in Q4, with 100-plus channels, Univision noted.