If the FCC asks the in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) universe about how to help it along, the agency should expect to hear about spectrum needs and suggested Part 25 rules changes, space operators told us. The space industry expects an ISAM notice of inquiry and a draft order for opening the 17 GHz band to geostationary orbit (GSO) fixed satellite service downlinks (see 2207150063) to be readily adopted at the FCC commissioners' August meeting Friday.
Matt Daneman
Matt Daneman, Senior Editor, covers pay TV, cable broadband, satellite, and video issues and the Federal Communications Commission for Communications Daily. He joined Warren Communications in 2015 after more than 15 years at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, where he covered business among other issues. He also was a correspondent for USA Today. You can follow Daneman on Twitter: @mdaneman
Charter Communications, like Comcast (see 2207280035), saw its broadband growth slow to a halt between Q1 and Q2. Charter ended Q2 with 28.26 million residential broadband subscribers -- up 54,000 year over year but roughly flat from the previous quarter. The sputtering growth had some analysts bearish. The two companies' broadband news "had a decidedly 'end of an era' feel," MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett wrote investors.
Between fewer people moving and increased fixed wireless competition, Comcast saw its residential broadband subscriber numbers flatline between Q1 and Q2. CEO Brian Roberts said it expects that to be temporary and residential broadband growth to resume as the company looks to housing and business growth in its current footprint and accelerated edge-outs into new areas, driven by government digital divide spending. Comcast shares took a body blow Thursday, closing 9.1% lower at $39.41.
Outer space should be added to the Department of Homeland Security's list of the nation's 16 critical infrastructure sectors, space cybersecurity experts told House Space Subcommittee members Thursday during a hearing regarding space cybersecurity issues. It's "unquestionable" space qualifies to be on the list alongside communications, dams and financial services, as all 55 critical national functions have some space dependence, said Brandon Bailey, Aerospace Corp. senior project leader-cyber assessments and research. But such a designation without planning could just result in bureaucratic rules that stifle innovation, he said. Theresa Suloway, Mitre space cybersecurity engineer, said there are concerns in the commercial space universe that such a designation would represent a costly regulatory burden.
No technical conditions exist that could ameliorate worries about harmful interference expected to come from opening the 12 Ghz band to terrestrial use, SpaceX Satellite Policy Senior Director David Goldman told reporters Tuesday. Satellite operators' already-heavy use of the band means employing highly sensitive receivers and low power levels, and given 5G advocates' suggested high-power mobile service, "there is not an in-between on that," Goldman said.
If Eutelsat and OneWeb move forward to combine, it likely won’t face big regulatory headwinds in the U.S., satellite experts told us. Eutelsat on Monday confirmed talks between the two. Under the deal's proposed terms, shareholders of each company would hold 50% of the combined group’s shares.
Crisis call centers around the nation are seeing increases in traffic since the official launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (see 2207150036), with steeper growth expected to follow. Some crisis centers said the promotion of 988 for any mental health crisis intervention and not just suicide prevention will likely be a big driver of increased communications volumes over time.
Cable operators are moving increasingly toward acting as over-the-top video service aggregators, often as a way of replacing the lost customer stickiness due to ongoing cord-cutting of traditional linear video packages. Cable executives, analysts and others tell us that probably will someday replace the linear programming bundle, though not soon.
DirecTV added to the list of analyses said to show a mobile allocation in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band will cause harmful interference. Even factoring in a variety of assumptions favoring a terrestrial mobile system, the data shows high-power terrestrial operations in the band will result in "significant and widespread harmful interference," DirecTV said in a docket 20-443 filing Monday that included a commissioned study done by satellite consultancy Savid.
OneWeb's study showing 5G incompatibility with non-geostationary orbit satellite operations in the 12 GHz band (see 2207120058) "is another in-house, non-independent effort to discredit the scientifically proven feasibility of coexistence in the 12 GHz band," the 12GHzfor5G Coalition emailed Tuesday. It said the FCC made it clear that any NGSO fixed satellite service using the band is doing so at its own risk and there shouldn't be an expectation of exclusivity there. The coalition said it "remains committed to working with the FCC and stakeholders to reach a win-win solution [and] will continue to pursue the facts that prove coexistence is possible in the band and advance the public interest."