{"id":17661,"date":"2020-07-10T17:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-07-10T09:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/fcc-chief-seeks-conditional-approval-for-amazons-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite-network\/"},"modified":"2020-07-10T17:00:04","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T09:00:04","slug":"fcc-chief-seeks-conditional-approval-for-amazons-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/fcc-chief-seeks-conditional-approval-for-amazons-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite-network\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC chief seeks conditional approval for Amazon\u2019s Project Kuiper broadband satellite network"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_541707\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-541707\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-541707\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"Ajit Pai\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/20200107_CES_215-Pai-Simons.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-541707\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, speaks at CES 2020 in Las Vegas in January. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Federal Communications Commission\u2019s chairman, Ajit Pai, says he\u2019s proposing approval of Amazon\u2019s plan to put more than 3,200 satellites into low Earth orbit for a broadband internet constellation known as Project Kuiper \u2026 with conditions.<\/p>\n<p>In a tweet, Pai said he shared his proposal today with colleagues on the commission:<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1281693437658574848&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2020%2Ffcc-chief-seeks-conditional-approval-amazons-project-kuiper-broadband-satellite-network%2F&amp;sessionId=5543b0f3a54fb600c53fe2e2ddc8f64a317bfaee&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1281693437658574848\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799137554292397=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Earlier today, I shared with my colleagues a proposal to approve, with conditions, #Kuiper\u2019s application to deploy and operate an NGSO satellite network. Satellite constellations like this aim to provide high-speed broadband service to consumers in the U.S. and around the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) July 10, 2020<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The full commission would have to vote to approve the Project Kuiper application, which has been in the works for the past year. But support from Pai, who was chosen by President Donald Trump to lead the five-member commission in 2017, serves as a strong sign that conditional approval will ultimately be granted.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s senior vice president of devices and services, Dave Limp, hailed Pai\u2019s positive comments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u201cThe need for reliable, affordable broadband has never been more apparent. There are still too many communities where Internet access is unreliable or prohibitively expensive, and we see Project Kuiper as a way to help close this gap for unserved and underserved communities around the world,\u201d Limp said in a statement emailed to GeekWire. \u201cWe appreciate that Chairman Pai shares our commitment to the issue, and look forward to working with the commission as it reviews the proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pai\u2019s tweet didn\u2019t signal what sorts of conditions Amazon may have to comply with, but there are lots of potential issues to address.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon is a relative latecomer to the satellite broadband race, and other players \u2014 led by SpaceX, which has already put more than 500 satellites into orbit for its rival Starlink broadband network \u2014 have urged the FCC to hold off on expediting Amazon\u2019s application.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"A Sky Full of Satellites\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UHPltiEwf9s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In January, Amazon acknowledged that it had not yet finalized the materials and components to be used for Project Kuiper\u2019s satellites, and for that reason could not submit a detailed analysis of orbital debris risks and how to mitigate them. At the time, Amazon suggested that the FCC could make its approval conditional on the submission and approval of such an analysis. It\u2019s possible that Pai decided to take Amazon up on that suggestion.<\/p>\n<p>Other issues have to do with how Amazon\u2019s satellite design will address concerns about interference with astronomical observations; and how all the constellations currently being planned in non-geostationary satellite orbits, or NGSO \u2014 including Starlink and Kuiper as well as OneWeb and Telesat \u2014 can work together to minimize collision risks.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon hasn\u2019t yet publicly discussed how Project Kuiper\u2019s satellites will be launched into space, or when it intends to begin commercial service. Nevertheless, apparent progress on Project Kuiper\u2019s application, coupled with OneWeb\u2019s apparent revival from bankruptcy, is likely to turn up the competitive heat on SpaceX.<\/p>\n<p>At last year\u2019s GeekWire Summit, Limp highlighted Project Kuiper\u2019s potential to extend broadband internet service to the billions who are currently underserved \u2014 but he also noted that the venture had valuable synergies with Amazon\u2019s other lines of business, conceivably ranging from Amazon Web Services\u2019 cloud computing platform to the streaming video services offered by Amazon Prime and Twitch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, more people can shop, which we like,\u201d he said, \u201cand more people can get access to things like Alexa, and more developers can get access to things like AWS.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, speaks at CES 2020 in Las Vegas in January. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota) The Federal Communications Commission\u2019s chairman, Ajit Pai, says he\u2019s proposing approval of Amazon\u2019s plan to put more than 3,200 satellites into low Earth orbit for a broadband internet constellation known as Project Kuiper [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4797,275,252,277,1720,962,20,442],"class_list":["post-17661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-ajit-pai","tag-amazon","tag-broadband","tag-fcc","tag-federal-communications-commission","tag-project-kuiper","tag-satellite","tag-satellites"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17661\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}