Satellite Update — Mar. 6, 2009

From FCC Report SAT-00583:

  • • ViaSat, Inc filed an amendment to its Letter of Intent to operate a Ka-band satellite at 115.1 degrees west longitude (WL). It requested authority to add the 18.8-19.3 GHz (space-to-Earth) frequency band on a non-interfering basis and the 28.6-29.1 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands on a secondary basis. ViaSat also requested permission to move certain telemetry, tracking and command carriers to different frequencies within the conventional Ka-band frequency band. ViaSat requested waivers allowing use of these frequencies on a non-interference basis and of Section 25.210(i) which requires cross-polarization isolation information. ViaSat's original Letter of Intent was to operate VIASAT-IOM at 115.1 degrees WL under authority of Isle of Man using the 18.3-18.8 GHz, 19.7-20.2 GHz, 28.1-28.6 GHz and 29.5-30.0 GHz frequency bands. It also requested certain waivers of the FCC rules.


From FCC Report SAT-00584.

  • • The FCC granted special temporary authority (STA) to Intelsat North America LLC allowing it to conduct telemetry, tracking and command operations with the Galaxy 26 space station as part of the drift of the space station from 93.0 degrees WL to 50.75 degrees east longitude. The STA commenced Feb. 20, 2009 and is valid for 30 days.
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.