Space Station Licensing Rules and Policies

In this document, the Commission seeks to extend mandatory electronic filing to all satellite and earth station applications. The Commission also plans to implement two measures that allow space station operators to make certain changes to their systems without prior regulatory approval. First, we allow direct broadcast satellite (DBS) licensees and Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) satellite licensees to use a streamlined procedure when relocating satellites for fleet management purposes. Second, we allow Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) system operators to activate in-orbit spares without prior authorization from the Commission, provided that the activation does not cause the operator to exceed the total number of space stations that the licensee was authorized to operate under its blanket license for that system. These rule revisions represent another step in our continuing effort to eliminate outdated regulatory requirements and expedite provision of satellite services to the public.