The bitter C-band dispute between SES and Intelsat, and where SES is arguing for a greater share of the FCC’s incentive payments, will now be heard by Intelsat’s bankruptcy judge on April 27th. The hearing, according to Judge Phillips’ decision, will be heard in camera. The full transcript of the judge’s April 20th hearing has […]
Jeff Bezos has contracted nine rocket launches with the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch his initial Project Kuiper low Earth orbiting (LEO) broadband-by-satellite craft. The contract means that for the time being he is not depending on his own Blue Origin rocket system. “We’re determined to make affordable broadband a reality for customers and […]
Intelsat has dozens of inter-related subsidiary and sister companies. These associated business are creating significant headaches for its bankruptcy court, Intelsat’s many debtors and arch-rival SES. SES, and some bond holders, are arguing that Intelsat is deliberately using these sister businesses to hide its current and especially future assets. Those future assets include the much-anticipated […]
The avalanche of legal filings and motions in the increasingly bitter dispute between SES and Intelsat over the division of C-band ‘incentives’ from the FCC is simply immense. April 14th saw another flood of documents, but one stood out, which contained Intelsat’s strong rebuttal of some of SES arguments. The opening paragraph says it all: […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has initiated an outreach programme direct to US consumers and asking them to share their experiences about their access to broadband. A new webpage explains the FCC’s programme and provides direct links to consumer resources including a new “share your broadband experience” option. “Far too many Americans are left behind […]
An Arianespace rocket used the Russian Vostochny Cosmodrome to successfully place 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit on March 25th at 2.47pm GMT. The satellites were released in groups of 4 which took over four hours and deployed the craft in their near-polar orbits at 450 kms above ground. The launch brings the number of OneWeb […]
Investment bank analysts at Morgan Stanley believe that the news that Elon Musk has asked the FCC for permission to expand its Starlink broadband-by-satellite system to moving vehicles (trucks/RVs, aircraft and ships) has not only major implications for the auto industry, but the “topic appears to be moving even faster than we had anticipated”. Last […]
A hearing on March 17th before Judge Keith Phillips at his Intelsat bankruptcy court decided to deny certain stockholders any official voice in the upcoming Intelsat financial restructuring. The ad hoc group also wanted the court to determine which of the dozens of Intelsat businesses should receive the FCC’s C-band incentive payments. The group of […]
The Federal Communications Commission is making valuable mid-band spectrum in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band available for auction to facilitate 5G deployment across the contiguous United States. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 required the Commission to commence a system of competitive bidding for licences in the 3.45-3.55 GHz band by the end of 2021. The […]
The world’s three-largest satellite operators are complaining to Canada’s government regarding its proposed restructuring of C-band spectrum for 5G adoption. In essence they are saying that they must be compensated for giving up their frequencies over Canada, and any Canadian scheme which only compensates Telesat would be a violation of trade agreements. The comments come […]