ITU Slow but Necessary, FCBA Panelists Say

The ITU's slow pace of regulatory change was a frustration to panelists at an FCBA event Thursday marking the first launch 50 years ago of a commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit, Intelsat 1. The ITU is responsible for overseeing the assigning of satellite orbits and coordinating global use of radio spectrum. “You may not always agree with" the ITU, said Brian Fontes, National Emergency Number Association CEO. “You may certainly not agree with its time schedule." The body's existence was "a step in the right direction" from not having anything to coordinate frequency use globally, he said. While the speed of technology change and commercial pressures are faster than the ITU moves, “It’s the only system we have,” said David Leive, ex-Intelsat general counsel. The ITU is slow moving, said Internet lawyer Henry Goldberg of Goldberg Godles. He lauded PanAmSat co-founder Rene Anselmo, who helped break the monopoly held by Intelsat: PanAmSat "was a huge success.” The ITU had no immediate comment. “The international consensus style and the U.S. style of encouraging technology don’t really mesh very well” in the ITU, Goldberg said, saying “they work out eventually.”