Attachment supplement

supplement

SUPPLEMENT submitted by EchoStar

supplement

2005-06-14

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20050321-00068 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2005032100068_442305

                                    Before the
                      FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                               Washington, DC 20554


                                                                               JUN 1 4 2005
In the Matter of

ECHOSTAR       L.L.C.
       SATELLITE

Application for Special Temporary Authority
to Conduct Telemetry, Tracking, and
Operations during the Relocation of EchoStar
to the 77” W.L. Orbital Location;               1
                                                )
Application for Modification of                 )     File No. SAT-MOD-20050513-00103
Direct Broadcast Satellite Authorization        )     Call Sign: S2621
To Permit Long-Term Cessation of Operations     )
On Three DBS Channels at the 157”W.L.           )
Orbital Location; and                           1
                                                1
Application for Modification of Earth Station )       File No. SES-MFS-20050527-00662
Authorization to add the EchoStar 4 Satellite at )    Call Sign: E020306
77” W.L. as a Point of Communication.            1

To: The International Bureau


                   SUPPLEMENT TO PETITION FOR RECONSIDERATION

                   EMERGENCY ACTION - EXPEDITED BRIEFING REQUESTED

       Pursuant to Section 1.106(f) of the Rules, EchoStar hereby supplements its petition €or

reconsideration filed in the above-captioned proceedings.’ As set forth in the EchoStar Petition,



        ’See Petition for Reconsideration,Jiled in SAT-STA-20050321-00068, SAT-MOD-
200505 13-00103, SES-MFS-20050527-00662(filed Jun. 8,2005) (“Echostar Petition”). To the
extent that the EchoStar Petition together with this supplement is considered to be in excess of
the 25-page limit for petitions for reconsideration in 47 C.F.R. 9 1.106(f), EchoStar hereby
respectfully requests a waiver of that limitation. There is good cause for the waiver, see 47
C.F.R. 9 1.3, as it is essential that the additional information contained in this supplement be
placed in the record.


subsequent events have overtaken the Bureau’s June 3 Order’ and show amply that the

relocation of EchoStar 4 to the 77” W.L. orbital location is in the public interest. The Bureau

therefore does not need to reach any of the legal issues raised in the EchoStar Petition.

       In short, EchoStar assures the Bureau that:

           Not one EchoStar customer will lose programming because of the relocation
           of the satellite.

           The move will not result in any loss of service for Alaska or Hawaii as
           EchoStar has a waiver of the requirement of serving Alaska and Hawaii from
           EchoStar 4 at 157” W.L.

           EchoStar can and will provide DTH service to U.S. consumers in southern
           states.

           EchoStar is fully willing to submit the satellite to U.S. licensing for any
           further operations other than at 77” W.L.

           The EchoStar 4 satellite can and will provide DTH services to the Mexican
           public, including to schools and libraries.

       EchoStar also incorporates by reference the June 10,2004 letter to Chairman Martin from

Mexico’s Undersecretary of Communications and the President of COFETEL detailing the

benefits from the relocation of EchoStar 4 to serve M e ~ i c o These
                                                                .~    facts make clear that there is

no distinction of decisional significance between this case and the move of DIRECTV 3 to




          See In the Matter of EchoStar Satellite L.L.C., Applicationfor Special Temporary
Authority to Conduct Telemetry, Tracking and Command Operations during the Relocation of
EchoStar 4 to the 77” W.L. Orbital Location; Applicationfor ModiJcation of Direct Broadcast
Satellite Authorization to Permit Long-Term Cessation of Operations on Three DBS Channels at
the 1.57” W.L. Orbital Location; Applicationfor Modrfication of Earth Station Authorization to
add the EchoStar 4 Satellite at 77” W.L.as a Point of Communication,DA 05-1581 (rel. June 3,
2005) (“June 3 Order”).
       3
        See Letter from Jorge Alvarez Hoth, Subsecretario de Communicaciones, SCT and
Jorge Aredondo Martinez, Presidente, COFETEL to Kevin J. Martin, Chairman, FCC (Jun. 9,
2005) (“Mexico Letter”).


                                                -2-


82" W.L.4 If anything, the benefits for Mexican consumers here are much more convincingly

documented than the benefits for the Canadian public that formed the basis for the DIRECTV 3

Order. In DIRECTV 3 , the Bureau had credited assertions by private companies about the

Canadian public interest benefits, but here the proof is presented by no less an authority on the

Mexican public interest than the Mexican administration.

       No EchoStar Customer Will Lose Service as a Result of the Move of EchoStar 4 from

1 5 7 O W.L. to 7 7 O W.L. As a threshold matter, EchoStar reiterates that none of its customers will

lose service by the removal of EchoStar 4 from 157" W.L. This is so for the following reason:

the programming that is being carried on EchoStar 4 at 157" W.L. is totally duplicative of

programming available from the EchoStar 1 and EchoStar 2 satellites at 148" W.L.

       No Service to Alaska or Hawaii Will Be Lost As a Result of the Move. Furthermore,

EchoStar emphasizes that no service to Alaska and Hawaii will be affected as a result of the

move of the EchoStar 4 satellite. While EchoStar 4 was originally configured to provide service

to Alaska and Hawaii from the 119' W.L. slot, when questions regarding satellite health and

other issues led EchoStar to decide to move EchoStar 4 to 157" W.L., EchoStar requested and

received a waiver of the requirement to serve Alaska and Hawaii from that satellite at that

location.' Furthermore, any locations in these States that might nevertheless be able to receive

service from 157" W.L. would have at least the same ability to receive service from EchoStar 1

or EchoStar 2 at 148" W.L.6 In sum, since programming on EchoStar 4 duplicates programming


           See DIRECTV, Znc., Order and Authorization, 19 FCC Rcd 11055 (2004) (''DIRECTV 3
Order")
       5
           See EchoStur Satellite L.L.C., Memorandum Opinion and Order, 19 FCC Rcd 6075, at
7 8 (2004) ("Echostar 4 Modification Order").
       6
         EchoStar 1 and EchoStar 2 at 148" W.L. also operate under a waiver of the requirement
to serve Alaska and Hawaii. See EchoStar Satellite L.L.C. , Order and Authorization, 18 FCC

                                                -3-


available from the 148” W.L. orbital location anyway, no service to Alaska and Hawaii will be

lost, even setting aside the technical difficulties that led EchoStar to request a waiver of the

geographic service requirement for EchoStar 4.

       Relocation of the EchoStar 4 Satellite Will Not Prejudice Echostar’s Ability to Serve

the U.S.Over the Other 29 DBS Channels at 1 5 7 O W.L. to be Licensed to EchoStar. As

EchoStar has previously apprised the Commission, EchoStar 4 is only capable of operating on a

certain combination of transponders simultaneously primarily due to the loss of most of its

traveling wave tube amplifiers (“TWTAS”).~While reduced power may allow EchoStar to

operate on up to six simultaneous transponders, the capacity on the satellite remains very limited.

In other words, EchoStar 4 does not have any meaningful ability to provide DBS service f?om

157” W.L. using the remaining 29 channels that EchoStar won in Auction No. 52.8 Therefore,

the Bureau need not consider any theoretical loss of service under the license EchoStar has

requested for the 29 DBS channels at 157” W.L. As EchoStar explained when it filed its

application for the 29 DBS channels at 157” W.L., a different satellite is required to fully utilize

those channels, and EchoStar has proposed just such a satellite.’


Rcd 7886,7892 115 (2003) (granting a waiver of geographic service requirements for EchoStar
2); EchoStur Satellite L.L.C., Memorandum Opinion and Order, 13 FCC Rcd 8595, 8599 f 8
(1998) (same for EchoStar 1).

         See Confidential Letter from Pantelis Michalopoulos, Counsel for EchoStar to Marlene
H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC at Attachment 3 (May 13,2005) (“ConfidenTial May 13 Letter”) (“To
date, EchoStar IV has had 38 TWTAs fail leaving 6 non-boosted (or 3 boosted) transponders
available for service. This means that EchoStar 4 can operate on certain combinations of
channels across all 32 BSS channels.”). See also EchoStar Modification Order at f 7 (modifjmg
the EchoStar 4 license at 157” W.L. to assign a different combination of 3 channels).

       See Echostar Satellite L.L. C., SAT-LOA-20040917-00184, Call Sign 2645 (filed Sept.
17,2004) (pending application).

       ’Id.

                                                -4-


       EchoStar Will Provide Service to the United States from EchoStar 4 at 7 7 O W.L.

EchoStar can and will serve consumers located in certain southern U.S. states from the 77" W.L.

orbital location. Specifically, because of the Mexican coverage requirements set forth in the

QuetzSat concession, the EchoStar 4 satellite will not have full coverage of the continental

United States. Importantly, however, as shown by the contours submitted by Echostar,

EchoStar 4 will cover large areas in several southern States." The additional capacity into the

United States from 77" W.L. will be used to provide augmented coverage to markets with

significant Spanish-speaking populations in portions of CONUS where practicable. EchoStar is

a pioneer and has a proven record in providing ethnic programming packages to underserved

communities in the United States and will continue to do so from EchoStar 4 at the 77" W.L.

orbital location by providing primarily Spanish language programming services over that

satellite that are popular to both Mexican consumers and the burgeoning Hispanic populations in

the southern United States.

       EchoStar Will Provide Service to Mexico From EchoStar 4 at 77' W.L. The EchoStar 4

satellite will also be used to provide direct-to-home ("DTH") service to consumers in Mexico.

EchoStar will begin service immediately upon receipt of a DTH concession by QuetzSat Directo,

an affiliate of the Mexican BSS concession holder, QuetzSat, S. de R.L. de C.V. EchoStar has

been assured that such a concession will be received very soon. Moreover, as representatives of

the Mexican government have recently stated to the Chairman, the relocation of the EchoStar 4

satellite at the 77" W .L. orbital position will allow the Mexican Government to improve the

availability and access to the general population of digital services throughout Mexico, including

education centers, libraries, health centers (among others) as part of the e-Mexico National

       lo See Letter from Pantelis Michalopoulos, Counsel for EchoStar to Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, FCC, at Attachment A (May 10,2005).


                                               -5-


System, as well as other national social coverage programs."" The Mexican Government also

added that the e-Mexico program and the universal availability of digital services are very

important public policy goals of the Mexican Government.'2 As noted above, EchoStar will

primarily be providing Spanish language programming over EchoStar 4 at 77" W.L.

       EchoStar Will Submit the EchoStar 4 Satellite to Licensing by the Commission If the

Satellite Were to Leave 7 7 O W.L. EchoStar wishes to update the factual record in one hrther

respect. The copy of the Echostar-SES agreement previously submitted in response to questions

from the International Bureau indicated that the relocation of the EchoStar 4 satellite away from

77" W.L. to another orbital location would be "subject to the prior approval of the Governmental

Entity to which that orbital location is allotted by the ITU."'3 However, EchoStar notes that in

the exchange of letters between the U.S. and Canada regarding the relocation of the DIRECTV 5

satellite to 72.5" W.L., an understanding was reached whereby "[alny operations of the satellite,

other than at the 72.5" W.L. orbital location, will be subject to licensing by the FCC . . . .,914

Accordingly, EchoStar clarifies that it will subject EchoStar 4 to licensing by the Commission

for any operations other than at 77" W.L. EchoStar and SES plan to amend their agreement to

incorporate that clarification.




             See Mexico Letter at 2.

        l2   Id.

       l 3 See Letter from Pantelis Michalopoulos, Counsel for EchoStar to Marlene H. Dortch,
Secretary, FCC at Attachment 1 (Article 9.D) (May 13,2005).
        14
       See DIRECTV Enterprises, LLC, DA 04-2526, Order and Authorization, File Nos.
SAT-STA-20040107-00002, SES-LFS-20040112-00023,at Annex A (p. 2) (rel. Aug. 13,2004).


                                                 -6-


       For the reasons stated in the EchoStar Petition as supplemented herein, EchoStar

respectfully requests that the Bureau immediately reconsider the June 3 Order and grant

Echostar's request to move EchoStar 4 to the 77" W.L. orbital location.''

                                            Respectfully submitted,




David K. Moskowitz                          Pantelis Michalopoulos
Executive Vice President and General        Philip L. Malet
Counsel                                     Brendan Kasper
EchoStar Satellite L.L.C.                   Steptoe & Johnson LLP
9601 South Meridian Boulevard               1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Englewood, CO 801 12                        Washgton, D.C. 20036
(303) 723-1000                              (202) 429-3000


                                            Counselfor EchoStar Satellite L.L.C.




       June 14,2005




       l 5 The Bureau should also reconsider its associated dismissals of the related EchoStar
applications and grant them as well.


                                               -7-


                                 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

               I hereby certify that on this 14th day of June 2005, a copy of the foregoing was

served upon the following by electronic mail:

Donald Abelson                                     Roderick K. Porter
Chief, International Bureau                        Deputy Bureau Chief, International Bureau
Federal Communications Commission                  Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.                              445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554                             Washington, D.C. 20554

Thomas S. Tycz                                     Karl Kensinger
Chief, Satellite Division, International Bureau    International Bureau
Federal Communications Commission                  Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.                              445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554                             Washington, D.C. 20554

Cassandra Thomas                                   Jay Whaley
International Bureau                               International Bureau
Federal Communications Commission                  Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.                              445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554                             Washington, D.C. 20554

William M. Wiltshire
Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
1200 18th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
wwiltshire@harriswiltshire.com




                                                                 Brendan Kasper




                                                  -8-



Document Created: 2005-07-13 11:10:33
Document Modified: 2005-07-13 11:10:33

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