Satellite Update

By Doug Lung
published

Intelsat North America LLC requested a determination from the FCC’s International Bureau that it has met the first three milestones (binding contract for construction, critical design receive and commence construction) for its application for Intelsat 16 at 58.1 degrees west longitude. The satellite will use conventional Ku-band frequencies. FCC Report SAT-00537 also lists several corrections to applications listed in the report released July 3, 2008, that was covered in last week’s Satellite Update.

The FCC granted special temporary authority to DirecTV Enterprises LLC for a period of two days between July 7 and July 11, 2008, to conduct in-orbit testing of DirecTV 11 using the frequencies 29.437 GHz (uplink) and 18.732 GHz (downlink) at 100.7 degrees WL. The testing was approved using the Los Angeles downlink spot beam with an emission designator of 36M0G7W and a maximum downlink power flux density of –118 dBW per meter squared per MHz. The FCC determined the modification request filed by PanAmSat on June 30, 2008, for satellite call sign S2422 PAS-2R is not appropriate for the streamlined procedure for fleet management maneuvers specified in the FCC rules. From FCC Report SAT-00538.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.