Satellite Update - Jan. 22, 2010


From FCC Report SAT-00659[PDF]:

  • • Hughes Network Systems LLC filed Letters of Intent (LOI) seeking access to the United States using three Ka-band satellites licensed by the United Kingdom. The satellites are Spaceway 4 at 107.1 degrees west longitude (WL), Spaceway 5 at 109.1 degrees WL, and Spaceway 6 at 90.9 degrees WL. Hughes seeks to operate the satellites using 28.35 - 29.1 GHz and 29.25 – 30.0 GHz for Earth-to-space communications and 18.3 – 19.3 GHz and 19.7 – 20.2 GHz for space-to-Earth communications. Operations in the 18.8 – 19.3 GHz band would be on a non-harmful interference basis. Hughes requested waivers, to the extent necessary, of the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations. The FCC is treating these applications as amendments to previously filed applications that specified the same orbital location and frequencies that it requested in 2008, with the exception that the new applications no longer seeks to use the 28.1 – 28.35 GHz band (Earth-to-space).


From FCC Report SAT-00660 [PDF], which also has informative notices concerning GlobalStar Licensee LLC, Iridium Satellite LLC, and CTIA--The Wireless Association:

  • • The FCC granted DirecTV Enterprises LLC authority to operate its 17/24 GHz broadcasting satellite service (BSS) satellite DirecTV RB-2A at 102.765 degrees WL using the 17.3 – 17.7 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 24.75 – 25.15 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands.
  • • PanAmSat Licensee Corp. received special temporary authority for 60 days, commencing Jan. 17, 2010, to continue to drift Intelsat 1R from 45.0 degrees WL to 50.0 degrees WL and to temporarily operate it at the 50.0 degree WL orbital location.
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.