Attachment EchoStar-Grant May 1

EchoStar-Grant May 1

DECISION submitted by IB,FCC

G

2010-05-12

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20100310-00041 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2010031000041_817347

                                                                              Tile # SAT— STD—2010 0316 —oc04]

                                                                              Call Sign 32433          Grant Date_85/12 /i6
                                                                              (or other identifier)
                                                                                                       Term Dates PE( of        Approved by OMB
                                                                              From O4/24/16                    o.   18 days            3060—0678
                                                      P
                                                      |
                                                            GRANTED®
Date & Time Filed: Mar 10 2010 11:07:36:136AM         |International Bureau_| Approved:                    /
File Number: SAT—STA—20100310—00041                   sublect 10 conditions                            3“@9%\ : Pualf\           i h
Callsign:                                                                                              Cme&, Satellite Po‘!(:j Brare

                                          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 to Renew 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:       100 Inverness Terrace East          E—Mail:



           City:         Englewood                           State:                                   Co
           Country:       USA                                Zipcode:                                 80112         —

           Attention:    Linda Kinney —(202)293—0981


                                          ATTACHMENT

                            IBFS File Nos. SAT—STA—20100310—00041
                                        Call Sign: $2439
                                   Grant Date: May 12, 2010

EchoStar Corporation‘s (EchoStar) request for special temporary authority, File No. SAT—STA—
20100310—00041 IS GRANTED. Accordingly, EchoStaris 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 April 24, 2010, 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 #   SBt sth— 2010 0316 — 00041

                                                 Cail Sign §2439__       Grant Date OS/DZ/'O       #

                                                 (or other identifier)
                                                                         Term Dates   Pef‘lod of

                                                 mon_O4/ru/io              ; 1o 160days.


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 eitherthe 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).
{} Governmental Entity         £4 Noncommercial educational licensee
g74 Other(please explain):

4b. Fee Classification

5. Type Request


£4y Change Station Location                         @ Extend Expiration Date                        g4 Other


6. Temporary Orbit Location                                                7. Requested Extended Expiration Date
        77 W.L.                                                                 2010—10—20 00:00:00.0


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




9. By checking Yes, the undersigned certifies that neither applicant nor any other party to the application is subject        Yes         £34 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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THE FOREGOING NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995, PUBLIC LAW 104—13, OCTOBER
1, 1995, 44 U.S.C. SECTION 3507.


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




                                                y yc s s s s S N &2
In the Matter of

ECHOSTAR CORPORATION                                                  File No.   SAT—STA—20080616—00121
                                                                      File No.   SAT—STA—20090422—00045
Application for Renewal of Special                                    File No.   SAT—STA—20091006—00107
Temporary Authority to Operate EchoStar 8                             File No.   SAT—STA—2009
at 77° W.L. for 180 days




      APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL OF SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY

       EchoStar Corporation (EchoStar) requests renewal of its special temporary authority

(STA)‘ to operate the EchoStar 8 satellite as a U.S.—licensed satellite serving the U.S. from 77°

W.L. for an additional 180 days pending grant of authority to transfer the satellite to Mexican

authority." The current STA is set to expire on April 23, 2010.°

       Grant of this renewal request will serve the public interest and not cause harmful

interference to any authorized user of the spectrum. Allowing EchoStar 8 to continue service at




       ‘ File No. SAT—STA—20091006—00107 (granted Dec. 9, 2009). The information provided
in the original application for STA is incorporated in this application by reference. File No.
SAT—STA—20080616—00121 (granted Oct. 31, 2008) [hereinafter STA Application].

       * On February 17, 2009, EchoStar filed an application to transfer the EchoStar 8 satellite
to QuetzSat, S. de R.L. de C.V., which will operate the satellite at the 77° W.L. orbital location
under Mexican authority. The transfer application did not request authority to assign or transfer
control over any authorization granted by the Commission. See File No. SAT—T/C—20090217—
00026 (filed Feb. 17, 2009). EchoStar has requested authority to provide service from the
satellite once it is transferred to Mexican authority. File No. SES—MFS—20080724—00977 (filed
July 24, 2008).

       > File No. SAT—STA—20091006—00107 (granted Dec. 9, 2009).


the 77° W.L. orbital location will support EchoStar‘s continued effort to make a greater variety

and quality of programming services available to U.S. consumers, including high—definition

television services and local—into—local broadcast stations from that orbital location. In addition,

the redeployment of EchoStar 8 from its location at 110° W.L. has enlarged and will continue to

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

CONUS coverage.

       As described in EchoStar‘s ST4 Application, EchoStar‘s partner, QuetzSat S. de R.L. de

C.V. (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 United States,

provided that the satellite operates in conformance with the technical characteristics in

QuetzSat‘s BSS Concession.*


1.     BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

       As explained in the S74 Application, 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},° and by a related




      * 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 [hereinafter BSS
Concession}], filed in STA Application, Attachment 2.

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

       ° Satellite Relocation and Use Agreement for the 77° W.L. Orbital Location [hereinafter


                                                 2.


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 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 United States from 77° W.L.°

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

EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L. temporarily as a U.S.—licensed satellite, and the satellite has been

providing service at that orbital location since the second half of 2008. Once EchoStar receives

authority to transfer the satellite to Mexican authority, EchoStar 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.


II.    GRANT OF THIS APPLICATION IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

       The same conditions that led the Bureau to grant the STA to operate EchoStar 8 at 77°

W.L. remain applicable in this case. EchoStar is able to take advantage of the greater


77° W.L. Agreement], as amended, fi/ed in STA Application, Attachment 3.

       ‘ BSS Concession, supra note 1, Attachment 2.

       8 See 77°W.L. Order, supra note 5, at      1. As EchoStar has previously advised the
Commission, 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). 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.

                                                 13.


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 is used to provide HD local—into—local broadcast

stations and other HD programming into the United States. The satellite also helps 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 United States. 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 United States, including additional Spanish language programming to areas with

significant Spanish—speaking populations.""" The redeployment of EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L. has

achieved this and more, as it ameliorates both of EchoStar 4s defects. It greatly enhances the

programming available from 77° W.L. to U.S. customers, and it also enhances the scope of U.S.

coverage beyond the southern states.

       Such improvements in scope of coverage and available capacity, allows 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, as noted in the STA Application, the public interest benefits that accrue from

operating EchoStar 8 at 77° W.L. can be achieved without causing harmful interference to other




        * 77° W.L. Order, supra note 5, at [ 8.


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.), and there is 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."

       Upon renewal of this STA, EchoStar will continue to operate the EchoStar 8 within the

specifications of the 1996 Mexican ITU modification overall points in Canada and the United

States, as well as in compliance with the existing coordination agreements between the

Administrations of Canada and Mexico and/or any future coordination agreements.

       Finally, EchoStar will continue to operate the EchoStar 8 satellite at 77° W.L. in

accordance with conditions set out in the December 9, 2009 STA grant.


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 powerof the United States because of the

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




         See File No. SAT—STA—20080616—00121, Narrative.

         * EchoStar is also authorized to serve the United States from 72.7° W.L. from the Nimiq
5 satellite that was launched on September 18, 2009. File No. SES—MFS—20090306—00253
(granted Oct. 30, 2009).

        } Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—STA—20091006—00107 (granted Dec. 9, 2009).


IV.    CONCLUSION

       For the foregoing reasons, EchoStar respectfully requests the renewal ofits application

for special temporary authority to operate EchoStar 8 as a U.S.—licensed satellite at 77° W.L. for

180 days pending grant of authority to transfer the satellite to Mexican authority.




                                              Respectfully submitted,




                                                        Is/
Pantelis Michalopoulos                         Linda Kinney
Petra A. Vorwig                                Vice President, Law and Regulation
Andrew Guhr                                    EchoStar Corporation
Steptoe & Johnson LLP                          1110 Vermont Avenue, NW
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW.                   Suite 750
Washington, D.C. 20036                         Washington, DC 20005
(202) 429—3000                                 (202) 293—0981
Counselfor EchoStar Corporation




March 10, 2010



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Document Modified: 2019-04-20 08:38:05

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