C-Band Earth Station Registration Window Extended 90 Days, While New Satellite Applications Are Frozen

The FCC International Bureau is giving 90 extra days, to Oct. 17, for operators of receive-only earth stations in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band to register those earth stations, it said in a docket 17-183 public notice Thursday. It also said it will allow registration of multiple fixed satellite service antennas located at the same address or geographic region to be listed on a single Form 312, with one registration fee covering the multiple antennas. It said registration of large numbers of geographically diverse earth stations can be done via an application for a single network license, with a $10,620 license fee. The FCC has received multiple requests for revamping its C-band earth station registration requirements and extending the registration window (see 1805300023). In a separate public notice in the docket, the bureau said it's temporarily freezing new satellite applications and requests for U.S. market access on non-U.S. licensed satellites providing fixed satellite service in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band. It said the freeze was "to preserve the current landscape" of authorized C-band operations pending FCC action on more flexible use and intensive fixed use of the band.