EchoStar<\/b> responded to the FCC<\/b> this week after the Commission opened an inquiry into the operator\u2019s spectrum. In new filings, EchoStar argued the FCC\u2019s inquiry threatens its business, 5G progress in the U.S., and the FCC\u2019s own licensing regime. <\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the FCC launched an inquiry into EchoStar\u2019s mobile satellite services (MSS) operations in the 2 GHz band, and an inquiry into its 5G network buildout. <\/p>\n
EchoStar said that the FCC\u2019s inquiry has created a \u201cdark cloud of uncertainty\u201d over the company\u2019s spectrum rights. \u201cThis cloud has effectively frozen EchoStar\u2019s decision making \u2014 it cannot reasonably invest more capital into a buildout if the Commission indicates it may take away its licenses through unprecedented actions,\u201d EchoStar said. <\/p>\n
The company also argued that the public inquiry, in which the FCC opened a docket into EchoStar\u2019s use of spectrum, \u201cimperil[s] the underpinning of FCC spectrum auctions and policy.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cAt no other time has the agency opened such inquiries after a company has invested billions into both acquiring spectrum and deploying a network in conformance with the agency\u2019s requirements,\u201d EchoStar said in the May 27 filing. <\/p>\n
At this point, the FCC has not taken any action on EchoStar\u2019s spectrum. But EchoStar argues that license reversals contemplated by the public notices would hurt investment in the U.S., and could impact future investments from other companies. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would any company invest in domestic telecommunications \u2014 on earth or in space \u2014 if the commission can change its mind on a whim and destroy a company simply for following the agency\u2019s instructions? Why would any company invest in American operations, jobs, or future spectrum auctions when faced with the unpredictability that such an abrupt reversal would bring?\u201d EchoStar said.<\/p>\n
The FCC\u2019s inquiry into EchoStar\u2019s spectrum specifically mentioned that SpaceX has raised questions about the company\u2019s MSS utilization. SpaceX has called for the FCC to bring new entrants into the 2 GHz band and start a new spectrum-sharing process.<\/p>\n
EchoStar said that SpaceX has mounted a \u201cpersistent, misleading, and anti-competitive campaign\u201d that \u201cappears to have influenced the public notices.\u201d <\/p>\n
The company pointed to the work it contributed to incorporate satellite and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) into the 3GPP wireless communication standards, saying it undertook this work because of its exclusive licenses. EchoStar called attention to potential impacts on the direct-to-device market. The company is working on a plan for its own constellation for D2D services. <\/p>\n
\u201cEchoStar paid billions for its spectrum rights and invested billions more to make its exclusively licensed spectrum commercially viable: there is absolutely no basis for SpaceX to be granted the right to commandeer this band,\u201d the company said. \u201cIf the Commission does what SpaceX is seeking, it would cripple EchoStar, damaging competition in the market for D2D, among many other connectivity services.\u201d <\/p>\n
EchoStar claims in the filing that it has met or exceeded its 5G license and MSS obligations, takes issue with the implications of the inquiry, and argues that sharing in the 2 GHz spectrum band is not possible. <\/p>\n
The company also pointed to President Trump\u2019s stated goal for the U.S. to be the global leader in Wi-Fi, 5G, and 6G, arguing \u201cEchoStar is the only company that has built an Open RAN 5G network in the United States. The Commission should do its utmost to preserve and enhance it, not destroy it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Public comments were due to the FCC on Tuesday and there is now a reply period, with reply comments due June 6.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EchoStar responded to the FCC this week after the Commission opened an inquiry into the operator\u2019s spectrum. In new filings, EchoStar argued the FCC\u2019s inquiry threatens its business, 5G progress in the U.S., and the FCC\u2019s own licensing regime. Earlier this month, the FCC launched an inquiry into EchoStar\u2019s mobile satellite services (MSS) operations in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48295,"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":[],"class_list":["post-49091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49091"}],"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=49091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}