Federal Communications Commission FCC 12-117 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Comprehensive Review of Licensing and ) IB Docket No. 12-267 Operating Rules for Satellite Services ) NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING Adopted: September 28, 2012 Released: September 28, 2012 Comment Date: (45 days after date of publication in the Federal Register). Reply Comment Date: (75 days after date of publication in the Federal Register). By the Commission: Chairman Genachowski and Commissioners McDowell, Clyburn, Rosenworcel and Pai issuing separate statements. TABLE OF CONTENTS Heading Paragraph # I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................1 II. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................4 III. DISCUSSION .........................................................................................................................................6 A. Definitions ........................................................................................................................................7 B. Reporting Requirements.................................................................................................................18 1. Annual Reports ........................................................................................................................18 2. Contact Information Reporting Requirements.........................................................................22 3. Space Station Control Arrangements.......................................................................................23 4. Results of In-Orbit Testing ......................................................................................................24 C. Mobile Terminals Aboard Aircraft.................................................................................................25 D. Milestone Rules..............................................................................................................................28 E. Form 312EZ and the Autogrant Procedure.....................................................................................32 F. Rain Fade Compensation................................................................................................................36 G. Other Proposed Changes to Subpart B – Applications and Licenses .............................................39 1. Section 25.111 “Additional information” ................................................................................40 2. Section 25.112 “Defective applications” .................................................................................42 3. Section 25.113 “Station licenses and launch authority” ..........................................................43 4. Section 25.114 “Applications for space station authorizations”..............................................48 5. Section 25.115 “Applications for earth station authorizations”...............................................76 6. Section 25.118 “Modifications not requiring prior authorization” ..........................................78 7. Section 25.121 “License term and renewals” ..........................................................................79 8. Section 25.129 “Equipment authorization for portable earth station transceivers”.............................................................................................................................82 9. Section 25.130 “Filing requirements for transmitting earth stations”......................................84 10. Section 25.131 “Filing requirements for receive-only earth stations”.....................................85 11. Section 25.132 “Verification of earth station antenna performance standards” ......................86 12. Section 25.133 “Period of construction; certification of commencement of operation”.................................................................................................................................93 Federal Communications Commission FCC 12-117 13. Section 25.134 “Licensing provisions for Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and C-band Small Aperture Terminals (CSAT) networks” .......................................95 14. Sections 25.135 “Licensing provisions for earth station networks in the non- voice, non-geostationary Mobile-Satellite Service” and 25.136 “Licensing provisions for user transceivers in the 1.6/2.4 GHz, and 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Services” ..................................................................................................................101 15. Section 25.138 “Blanket licensing provisions of GSO FSS earth stations in the 18.3-18.8 GHz space-to-Earth, 19.7-20.2 GHz (space-to-Earth), 28.35- 28.6 GHz (Earth-to-space), and 29.25-30.0 GHz (Earth-to-space) bands”............................104 16. Section 25.140 “Requirements for license applications for space stations in the Fixed-Satellite Service and 17/24 GHz Broadcasting-Satellite Service”.........................111 17. Section 25.144 “Licensing provisions for the 2.3 GHz satellite digital audio radio service” .........................................................................................................................113 18. Section 25.145 “Licensing provisions for the Fixed-Satellite Service in the 20/30 GHz bands”..................................................................................................................114 19. Section 25.154 “Opposition to applications and other pleadings” ........................................115 20. Section 25.161 “Automatic termination of station authorization” ........................................116 H. Other Proposed Changes in Subpart C – “Technical Standards” .................................................117 1. Section 25.202 “Frequencies, frequency tolerance and emission limitations” ......................118 2. Section 25.204 “Power limits”...............................................................................................122 3. Section 25.205 “Minimum angle of antenna elevation” ........................................................123 4. Section 25.206 “Station identification”..................................................................................124 5. Section 25.208 “Power flux density limits”...........................................................................125 6. Section 25.209 “Earth station antenna performance standards” ............................................126 7. Section 25.210 “Technical requirements for space stations”.................................................127 8. Section 25.211 “Analog video transmissions in the Fixed-Satellite Service” .......................131 9. Section 25.212 “Narrowband analog transmissions and all digital transmissions in the GSO Fixed-Satellite Service”................................................................133 10. Section 25.215 “Technical requirements for space stations in the Direct Broadcast Satellite Service”...................................................................................................137 11. Section 25.217 “Default service rules” ..................................................................................138 12. Section 25.218 “Off-axis EIRP envelopes for FSS earth station operations”........................140 13. Section 25.223 “Off-axis EIRP spectral density limits for feeder-link earth stations in the 17/24 GHz BSS”.............................................................................................141 14. Sections 25.259 “Time sharing between NOAA meteorological satellite systems and non-voice, non-geostationary satellite systems in the 137-138 MHz band”) and 25.260 (“Time sharing between DoD meteorological satellite systems and non-voice, non-geostationary satellite systems in the 400.15-401 MHz band”..........................................................................................................144 I. Other Proposed Changes in Subpart D – Technical Operations...................................................145 1. Section 25.271 “Control of transmitting stations”.................................................................146 2. Section 25.276 “Points of Communication” ..........................................................................147 3. Sections 25.281 “Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS)” .............................149 J. Additional Technical Changes......................................................................................................155 IV. REGULATORY IMPACT CONCLUSION.......................................................................................156 V. PROCEDURAL MATTERS ..............................................................................................................157 A. Ex Parte ........................................................................................................................................157 B. Initial Regulatory Flexibility Act .................................................................................................158 C. Initial Paperwork Reduction.........................................................................................................159 D. Filing of Comments and Reply Comments ..................................................................................160 VI. ORDERING CLAUSES .....................................................................................................................162