EchoStar Pushes for Preserving V-Band for FSS Use

The FCC needs to continue to reserve the 48.2-50.2 uplink band and corresponding 40-42 GHz downlink band for exclusive fixed satellite service (FSS) use, since they're two of the only spectrum slices where satellite operators can deploy user terminals widely with full interference protection, EchoStar told an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr, said a docket 14-177 filing posted Wednesday. The company urged the agency to optimize FSS access to the 47.2-48.2, 50.4-51.4 and 51.4-52.4 GHz bands for individually licensed earth station deployment and to allow FSS operations in the 37.5-40 GHz band at higher power flux density levels to compensate for rain fade. The company repeated the case it and other satellite operators made for spectrum frontiers order rules changes (see 1710030024).