Satellite Update - Sept. 24, 2009

By Doug Lung
published

From FCC Report SAT-00633 [PDF]:

  • • EchoStar requested a 180-day extension of special temporary authority (STA) to provide DBS service over channel 23 and 24 at 61.5 degrees west longitude (WL). EchoStar requested the extension be granted subject to the same conditions of the first STA granted on February 2, 2007. SkyTerra requested modification of its licenses for AMSC-1 and SkyTerra-1 to allow use of 1.5/1.6 GHz frequencies currently assigned internationally to two Mexican-licensed satellites, subject to a condition that SkyTerra's operation on the additional frequencies shall not cause harmful interference to operation of the Mexican satellite systems.


From FCC Report SAT-00634 [PDF]:

  • • Last month the FCC declared ATCONTACT's authorization to launch and operate a Ka-band non-geostationary orbit fixed satellite system null and void for failure to meet milestone requirements. The FCC has designed the proceedings on ATCONTACT's request to modify its authorization as "permit but disclose" for ex parte purposes. The FCC has been routinely granting requests from Sirius XM Radio for STA to operate terrestrial repeaters, but it appears at least some of these applications are attracting more review. The FCC granted a request from Sirius XM Radio to designate its application for STA to operate terrestrial repeaters in Cincinnati Ohio as "permit but disclose" for ex parte purposes. The FCC said, "We find that designating this proceeding as 'permit-but-disclose' will facilitate resolution of the complex policy issues raised by the application. In addition, changing the ex parte status of the proceeding will make the ex parte status of the application consistent with the 'permit but disclose' status already in effect in a related rulemaking in which the same questions of law and policy are at issue."


U.S. licensees of microwave systems near the Canadian border operating in the 6 GHz band may want to review the Request for Coordination of Canadian Earth Stations with USA Terrestrial Fixed Stations [PDF] from the FCC released on Wednesday.

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.