Attachment grant

grant

DECISION submitted by IB,FCC

grant

2008-10-31

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20080616-00121 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2008061600121_676836

            SAT—STA—20080616—00121      182008001433
                                                                                 File 4 SAT—_STA— 29070(@16 — 0 12—
EchoStar Corporation
ECHOSTAR—8
                                                                                 Call Sign 824¥ Grant Date_19/31/g 008
                                                                                 (or other identifier)                 Approved by OMB
                                                                                                Term Dates                    3060—0678
                                                                                 From:10 /)2 008           To: _+1/%0days
     Date & Time Filed: Jun 16 2008 5:38:54:053PM
     File Number: SAT—STA—20080616—00121                Internat              ‘| Approved: CWJAW-/ Q%WM/«%j Yo the
     Callsign:
                                                                                                       athackel CorkMrat.
                                                FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                                      APPLICATION FOR SPACE STATION SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY

                                                            FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY


       APPLICANT INFORMATION
     Enter a description of this application to identify it on the main menu:
      Request for Special Temporary Authority to Operate EchoStar 8 at 77 W.L. for 180 days
      1. Applicant

                 Name:         EchoStar Corporation                Phone Number:                   303—723—1000
                 DBA Name:                                         Fax Number:
                 Street:       90 Inverness Circle E.              E—Mail:


                 City:         Englewood                           State:                           CO
                 Country:       USA                                Zipcode:                        80112      —
                 Attention:    Linda Kinney —(202)293—0981


                                         ATTACHMENT

                           IBFS File Nos. SAT—STA—20080616—00121
                                         Call Sign: $2439
                                  Grant Date: October 31, 2008

EchoStar Corporation‘s (EchoStar) request for special temporary authority, File No. SAT—STA—
20080616—00121 IS GRANTED. Accordingly, EchoStar is authorized to continue to conduct
Tracking, Telemetry, and Command (TT&C) necessary to maintain the EchoStar 8 satellite at
the 77° W.L. orbital location, and is authorized to operate the EchoStar 8 satellite at that location
for 180 days commencing October 31, 2008, subject to the following conditions:

       1. At the 77° W.L. orbital location, Echostar shall operate the EchoStar 8 satellite in
accordance with the operator arrangement referenced in the Letter dated October 23, 2008 from
William M. Wiltshire, Counsel for DIRECTV Enterprises, LLC to the Secretary of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC).

       2. All operations of the EchoStar 8 satellite at the 77° W.L. orbital location shall be on a
non—harmful interference basis. EchoStar shall not cause harmful interference to, and shall not
claim protection from interference caused to it, by any other lawfully operating satellite or radio
communication service.

       3. In the event of any harmful interference as a result of EchoStar‘s operation of the
EchoStar 8 satellite at the 77° W.L. orbital location, EchoStar shall cease operations immediately
upon notification of such interference and shall inform the FCC, in writing, immediately of such
an event.

       4. EchoStar shall inform its customers that operations at the 77° W.L. orbital location
from the EchoStar 8 satellite are on a non—harmful interference basis, and that EchoStar must
cease operations upon notification of such interference.




                                                      File 4 SAT STA—200ZF0U0M— 10 7a /

                                                      Call Sign 2R 7_Grant Date_/0/2//a. 003
                                                      (or other identifier)
                                                                      Term Dates
                                                                           To: +( 70 —Cé
                                                                                Ct4  days
                                         p
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                                  .            —
                                                        Fomfor@flpor
                                                      From: 70/21/2 00
                                                                 dAagpa AAA (/ j/f   a )
                               International u        Approved:


2. Contact


             Name:        Pantelis Michalopoulos                Phone Number:                         202—429—6494
             Company:     Steptoe & Johnson LLP                 Fax Number:
             Street:         1330 Connecticut Ave., NW          E—Mail:                              pmichalopoulos@steptoe.com



             City:        Washington           —                State:                                DC

             Country:        USA                                Zipcode:                              20036      —

             Attention:                                         Relationship:                         Legal Counsel


   (If your application is related to an application filed with the Commission, enter either the file number or the IB Submission ID of the related
application. Please enter only one.)
  3. Reference File Number      or Submission ID

 4a. Is a fee submitted with this application?
) IfYes, complete and attach FCC Form 159.         If No, indicate reason for fee exemption (see 47 C.F.R.Section 1.1114).
£4 Governmental Entity        g*4 Noncommercial educational licensee
«74 Other(please explain):

4b. Fee Classification

5. Type Request


4 Change Station Location                          {3 Extend Expiration Date                         ) Other


6. Temporary Orbit Location                                                7. Requested Extended Expiration Date
        77 W.L.


8. Description   (If the complete description does not appear in this box, please go to the end of the form to view it in its entirety.)
     EchoStar Corporation seeks special temporary authority to operate the EchoStar 8 satellite
     under U.S.      authority at 77 W.L.              for 180 days.          See attached narrative.




9. By checking Yes, the undersigned certifies that neither applicant nor any other party to the application is subject @ Yos               y No
to a denial of Federal benefits that includes FCC benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of the Anti—Drug Act of 1988,
21 U.S.C. Section 862, because of a conviction for possession or distribution of a controlled substance. See 47 CFR
1.2002(b) for the meaning of "party to the application" for these purposes.


10. Name of Person Signing                                                  11. Title of Person Signing
Linda Kinney                                                                Vice President, Law and Regulation
12. Please supply any need attachments.
 Attachment 1: Narrative                           Attachment 2:                                      Attachment 3:



          WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS MADE ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND / OR IMPRISONMENT
                 (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION AUTHORIZATION
                  (U.S. Code, Title 47, Section 312(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. Code, Title 47, Section 503).


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1, 1995, 44 U.S.C. SECTION 3507.


                                            Before the
                      FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                                     Washington, D.C. 20554




                                                      N/ NZNZI N NV NV NT N N/
In the Matter of

ECHOSTAR CORPORATION
                                                                                 File No. SAT—STA—2008
Application for Special Temporary Authority
To Operate EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L. for
180 days




              APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY‘


       Pursuant to Section 309 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. §

309, and Part 25 of the Commission‘s Rules, EchoStar Corporation ("EchoStar") hereby files

this application for special temporary authority ("STA") to operate EchoStar 8 as a U.S.—licensed

satellite serving the U.S. at 77° W.L. for 180 days." In orderto allow for sufficient time to test




         Concurrent with this application, EchoStar is separately requesting special temporary
authority to move the satellite to 77° W.L. and to operate six transmit/receive earth stations
during the move. (Call Signs EO80120, E0O70014, E060003, E080007, E080058 and EO50017),
EchoStar is also requesting a modification of its authority for five transmit/receive earth stations
(Call Signs E070014, £060003, E080007, E080058 and E050017) and amending its application
for one transmit/receive earth station (Call Sign EQO80120) to add EchoStar 8 as a point of
communication from 77° W.L.

       > As EchoStar has previously advised the Commussion, on January 1, 2008, EchoStar
Communications Corporation ("ECC") assigned several satellite space station and earth station
assets previously owned by its subsidiaries to EchoStar (the "Spin—Off"). See Public Notice, DA
07—4655 (rel. Nov. 16, 2007) (consenting to the transfer of several authorizations as part of the
Spin—Off). Commission authority to operate the EchoStar 8 satellite at 110° W.L. was retained
by ECC, which subsequently changed its name to DISH Network Corporation ("DISH").
Ownership of the EchoStar 8 satellite was transferred to EchoStar as part of the Spin—Off.


the satellite at the 77° W.L. orbital location before operations are to begin at that location, the

authority requested herein is requested by September 21, 2008.

       For the reasons set forth herein, grant of this Application will serve the public interest and

not cause harmful interference to any authorized user of the spectrurn.3 Allowing EchoStar to

bring the EchoStar 8 satellite into service at the 77° W.L. orbital location after EchoStar 11

becomes operational at 110° W.L.* will augment the capacity that EchoStar will marshal from

that slot and result in a greater variety and quality of programming services available to U.S.

consumers, including high definition television services and "local—into—local" broadcast stations.

In addition, the redeployment of EchoStar 8 from its location at 110° W.L. will enlarge the scope

of U.S. coverage from the 77° W.L. orbital location, enabling nearly full CONUS coverage."

       Because the 77° W.L. orbital location is allotted to Mexico by the ITU, EchoStar‘s

partner, QuetzSat S. de R.L. de C.V. ("QuetzSat"), which has a Mexican concession permitting

use of the 77° W.L. slot,° has discussed the proposed operation of EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L., as a




       3 See the Technical Annex for a description of the satellite‘s technical characteristics,
attached hereto as Attachment 1.

       * See Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—LOA—20070622—00085, Call Sign $2738 (granted Jan.
11, 2008) ("EchoStar 11 Grant‘).

         ° EchoStar will soon file a set of applications requesting authority to move EchoStar 2 to
77° W.L., where it will operate as a Mexican—licensed satellite, and to provide service from the
satellite into the U.S. EchoStar 2 will effectively replace EchoStar 4, which is nearing its end of
life, providing greater operational flexibility for EchoStar 8 to provide more services and more
transponder availability to U.S. consumers than if EchoStar 8 were operated by itself at 77° W.L.

       ° Secretariat of Communications and Transportation Vice—Ministry of Communications,
Concesion Para Ocupar La Posicion Orbital Geoestacionaria 77° Oeste Asignada al Pais y
Explotar Sus Respectivas Bandas de Frecuencias 12.2 — 12.7 GHz y 17.3—17.8 GHz, Asi como
los Derechos de Emision y Recepcion de Sefiales, granted February 2, 2005 ("BSS Concession")
(English—language version provided at Attachment 2).


U.S.—licensed satellite, with the Mexican Administration. QuetzSat has confirmed that the

Mexican Administration does not object to the interim operation of EchoStar 8 as a U.S. satellite

at 77° W.L. to provide service to the U.S., provided that the satellite operates in conformance

with the technical characteristics in QuetzSat‘s BSS Concession.

IJ.    BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION


       On April 18, 2006, the Commission granted EchoStar‘s sister company, EchoStar

Satellite LLC, authority to provide Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS") service to the southern

United States from EchoStar 4 as a Mexican—licensed satellite located at 77° W.L.‘ The

operation of EchoStar 4 at 77° W.L. is governed by an agreement between EchoStar and SES

Global Latin America, S.A. (“SES”),8 and a related agreement between SES and QuetzSat.

Consistent with these agreements, the EchoStar 4 satellite is currently operating as a Mexican—

licensed satellite under the direct control of QuetzSat pursuant to the February 2, 2005 BSS

Concession, which allows QuetzSat to use the 77° W.L. orbital location. In addition, EchoStar




      ‘ EchoStar Satellite LLC, Order and Authorization, DA 06—868, 21 FCC Red 4077 (2006)
("77°W.L. Order").

        8 See Satellite Relocation and Use Agreement for the 77° W.L. Orbital Location ("77°
W.L. Agreement"), as amended, attached hereto as Attachment 3. As part of the Spin—Off,
EchoStar has succeeded to the rights and obligations of EchoStar Satellite LLC under the
agreement. EchoStar requests that certain provisions of this agreement be treated as confidential.
Concurrently, EchoStar is submitting a redacted version of the agreement to be included in the
public record.


has received authority to serve the United States from EchoStar 4 as a foreign—licensed satellite."

The EchoStar 4 satellite, however, can only provide service to the southern U.S. from 77° W.L. 10

       The parties have now amended the 77° W.L. Agreement to allow EchoStar to move the

EchoStar 8 satellite to 77° W.L. and operate it temporarily as a U.S.—licensed satellite."‘ On

January 11, 2008, the Commission granted EchoStar authority to launch and operate its EchoStar

11 satellite at 110° W.L. where it will assume the traffic currently transmitted over EchoStar 8.

EchoStar recently filed an application for STA to move EchoStar 8 to 109.8° W.L. while traffic

is transferred from EchoStar 8 to EchoStar 11."    Once traffic transfer is complete, EchoStar 8

will be available to move to 77° W.L., where it will use up to all of the 32 DBS channels

available at that orbital location to provide DBS service to the United States, subject to

Commission approval."* The satellite may also be used to provide DBS service to Mexico




         ° See 77°W.L. Order at 1. EchoStar Satellite Operating LLC‘s blanket earth station
license and its authority to operate U.S. feeder link and TT&C earth stations with the EchoStar 4
satellite were assigned to EchoStar as part of the Spin—Off.

         See EchoStar Satellite LLC, Supplement to Petition for Reconsideration, filed in File
No. SAT—STA—20050321—00068, at 5 (June 14, 2005); see also Letter from Pantelis
Michalopoulos, Counsel for EchoStar Satellite LLC, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, filed
in File No. SAT—STA—20050321—00068, Appendix A, dated May 10, 2005.

          See Amendment #3 to Satellite Relocation and Use Agreement for the 77° W.L.
Orbital Location (effective June 12, 2008). Attached hereto as Attachment 4. This Amendment
is being filed under a request for confidentiality. A redacted version is being submitted for the
public record.

       2 See EchoStar 11 Grant.

       3 See SAT—STA—20080516—00105 (filed May 16, 2008).

      * Most likely, EchoStar 8 will be operated on a subset of these 32 channels at full—power
mode with the remaining frequencies used to provide service from EchoStar 4 and EchoStar 2.


subject to the receipt of all necessary authorizations from the Mexican Administration.""

EchoStar currently expects that EchoStar 8 will remain in operation at 77° W.L. until the

deployment at that location of the QuetzSat—1 satellite, planned for a 2011 launch.

IL.    GRANT OF THIS APPLICATION IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST


       Granting EchoStar‘s Application is in the public interest. EchoStar will be able to take

advantage of the greater capabilities that EchoStar 8 brings to bear compared to EchoStar 4 to

provide increased programming to U.S. consumers from 77° W.L. while QuetzSat constructs the

QuetzSat—1 satellite. Among other things, the satellite will be used to provide high definition

local—into—local broadcast stations and other high definition programming into the United States

using up to 32 DBS channels from that orbital slot. The satellite will also help expand the

coverage available from the 77° W.L. orbital location to cover nearly all of the continental

United States.

       EchoStar 4 suffers from two infirmities: limited capacity and limited scope of coverage

over the U.S. The Commission found that even this limited service from the Mexican orbital slot

at 77° W.L. "could serve the public interest by providing service to areas in the Southern U.S.,

including additional Spanish language programming to areas with significant Spanish—speaking

populations.""" The redeployment of EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L. will achieve this and more, as it


        5 See Amendment to the Commission‘s Regulatory Policies Governing Domestic Fixed
Satellites and Separate International Satellite Systems and DBSC Petition for Declaratory
Rulemaking Regarding the Use of Transponders to Provide International DBS Service, Report
and Order, 11 FCC Red 2429, 70 (1996); see also Protocol Concerning the Transmission and
Reception of Signals from Satellites for the Provision of Direct—to—Home Satellite Services in the
United States of America and the United Mexican States, U.S.—Mx., Nov. 8, 1996, available at
http://www.fco.gov/ib/sand/agree/files/satellite/mex—dth.pdf.

       © See 77° W.L. Order at 8.


will ameliorate both of EchoStar 4s defects. It will greatly enhance the programming available

from 77° W.L. to U.S. customers, and it will also enhance the scope of U.S. coverage beyond the

southern states.

        All of this will be achieved without any disruption in service. EchoStar 11 will replace

EchoStar 8 at 110° W.L. But for this proposal, therefore, EchoStar 8 would remain unused,

relegated to in—orbit spare status.

        Thus, putting the satellite into more productive use will allow EchoStar‘s affiliated DBS

provider, DISH, to compete more effectively with terrestrial MVPD distributors — both the

established cable operators and telephone companies — whose infrastructure endows them with

significantly more bandwidth and programming capacity than is available to DISH.

        Moreover, the public interest benefits from increasing the capacity and the scope of the

U.S. DBS service provided from 77° W.L. can be achieved without causing harmful interference

to other satellites."" There is no DBS orbital location in the vicinity of 77° W.L. that is assigned

to the United States (the closest U.S. location is 61.5° W.L.). There will likewise be no harmful

interference from the operation of an additional satellite at 77° W.L. into Canada‘s DBS

allotments at 72.5° W.L. and 82° W.L. In that respect, EchoStar notes that Canada has modified

the coverage of its 72.5° W.L. orbital location to include the United States, and DIRECTV is

authorized to serve the United States from its DIRECTV 1R satellite operating at that slot. There

is, however, an existing coordination agreement between Mexico and Canada to address

interference issues between 77° W.L. and 72.5° W.L. While EchoStar 8 will remain a U.S.—



         EchoStar 8 will not use its downlink spot beam capabilities while it is stationed at 77°
W.L.


licensed satellite, EchoStar will operate the satellite so that it is within the specifications of that

agreement and/or future coordination agreements. Similarly, with respect to Canadian

operations at 82° W.L., EchoStar will operate the satellite so that it is within the specifications of

the 1996 Mexican ITU modification over all points in Canada and the United States, as well as

with the existing coordination agreements between the Administrations of Canada and Mexico

and/or any future coordination agreements.

        Finally, EchoStar will operate the EchoStar 8 satellite at 77° W.L. in accordance with the

following conditions:

        1.      While EchoStar 8 is operating at 77° W.L., operations shall be on a non—harmful
                interference basis, meaning that EchoStar shall not cause interference to, and shall
                not claim protection from, interference caused to it by any other lawfully
                operating satellites operating within the parameters of applicable international
                coordination agreements.

        2.      In the event that any harmful interference is caused while the satellite is operating
                at 77° W.L., EchoStar shall cease operations immediately upon notification of
                such interference and shall inform the Commission immediately, in writing, of
                such event.

III.    WAIVER PURSUANT TO SECTION 304 OF THE ACT


        In accordance with Section 304 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47

U.S.C. § 304, EchoStar hereby waives any claim to the use of any particular frequency or of the

electromagnetic spectrum as against the regulatory power of the United States because of the

previous use of the same, whether by license or otherwise.

IV.     CONCLUSION


        For the foregoing reasons, EchoStar respectfully requests the expeditious grant ofits

application for special temporary authority to operate EchoStar 8 as a U.S.—licensed satellite at

77° W.L. for 180 days.


                                  Respectfully submitted,



                                            Is/
Pantelis Michalopoulos             Linda Kinney
Petra A. Vorwig                    Vice President, Law and Regulation
Steptoe & Johnson LLP              Brad Gillen
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW.       Director and Senior Counsel
Washington, D.C. 20036             EchoStar Corporation
(202) 429—3000                     1233 20th Street, N.W.
Counselfor EchoStar Corporation    Suite 302
                                   Washington, DC 20036—2396
                                   (202) 293—0981



June 16, 2008



Document Created: 2008-10-31 15:34:23
Document Modified: 2008-10-31 15:34:23

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