Attachment EchoStar - Grant Jun

EchoStar - Grant Jun

DECISION submitted by IB,FCC

GRANT

2012-06-12

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20120424-00074 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2012042400074_954814

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                                                                                   File # ent em— 2o221— oco74 _
$2741       SAT—STA—20120424—00074         182012001093
EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation
EchoStar 3                                                                         ~Call Sign $2741     Grant Date oo/i2/12
                                                                                   (or other identifier) ‘TcrmDatcs poned of          Approved by OMB

                                                                                                                                            3060—0678
                                                                                   From OG/ 23[1?_              To:   190 d“n$

   Date & Time Filed: Apr 24 2012 12:20:18:816PM                             rau   Approved:
   File Number: SAT—STA—20120424—00074                        d                                                 3. Duall
                                                            *¥tith conddtions                         Chie\ Satellite Rlicg Branch
   Callsign:

                                              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:
   Application for Special Temporary Authority to Operate EchoStar 3 at 61.8 W.L. as an In—Orbit Spare
   1. Applicant

              Name:          EchoStar Satellite Operating         Phone Number:                         202—293—0981
                             Corporation
              DBA Name:                                           Fax Number:

              Street:         100 Inverness Terrace East          E—Mail:


              City:          Englewood                            State:                                CO
              Country:        USA                                 Zipcode:                              80112         —
              Attention:     Ms Alison Minea


                                   Attachment to Grant
                        EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation
               Conditions of Authorization: SAT—STA—20120424—00074
                                     Call Sign $2741


        The application of EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation (EchoStar) for
special temporary authority, File No. SAT—STA—20120424—00074, IS GRANTED.
Accordingly, EchoStar is authorized for 180 days, commencing June 29, 2012, to conduct
telemetry, tracking, and control operations sufficient to maintain the EchoStar 3 space
station (Call Sign S2741) as an in—orbit spare at the 61.8° W.L. orbital location. All
operations of the EchoStar 3 space station must be in accordance with the technical
specifications set forth in EchoStar‘s application, Federal Communications Commission
(Commission) rules, and the conditions set forth below.

1.     All operations at the 61.8° W.L. orbital location 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. In the event of any harmful interference, EchoStar shall cease
       operations immediately upon notification of such interference, and shall inform
       the Commission, in writing, immediately of such an event.

2.     EchoStar shall maintain the EchoStar 3 space station at the 61.8° W.L. orbital
       location with an east/west longitudinal station—keeping tolerance of + 0.05
       degrees.

3      Any action taken or expense incurred as a result of operations pursuant to this
       special temporary authority is solely at EchoStar‘s own risk.

4.     EchoStar is afforded 30 days from the date of the release of this action to decline
       this authorization as conditioned. Failure to respond within this period will
       constitute formal acceptance of this authorization as conditioned.

5.     This grant is issued pursuant to 47 C.F.R. § 0.261 of the Commission‘s rules on
       delegated authority, and is effective immediately.

                                                   wronnontmememen—-vnm...v‘w..—‘b opmremegrent


                                           Ffla#_§m:
                                                  sm‘zo»zoqzqLoco74
                                           Call Sign
                                                 62741 GrantDateoeazgn_
                                           (or other identifier)
                                                                     Term Dates penod of
                                           From_O6/29/12.                  3,. 160 days
                          GRANTED*
                      *wfl’h
                         ‘comhhons                              Ste              . Duall
                                                                 CKe?, Satellite Q\igj Branch


2. Contact


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



             City:           Washington                           State:                                DC
             Country:        USA                             —    Zipcode:                                   —
             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).
C3 Governmental Entity        g*3 Noncommercial educational licensee
«34 Other(please explain):

4b. Fee Classification

5. Type Request

«4 Change Station Location                         (o] Extend Expiration Date                         , Other


6. Temporary Orbit Location                                                  7. Requested Extended Expiration Date
        61.8 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 Satellite Operating Corporation requests Special Temporary Authority to operate
     the EchoStar 3 satellite at 61.8 W.L.                       as an in—orbit spare.             See attached narrative.




9. By checking Yes, the undersigned certifies that neither applicant nor any other party to the application is subject @ Yes               «4 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
Alison Minea                                                                Corporate Counsel
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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                                             Before the
                      FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                                     Washington, D.C. 20554




                                                 N/ N/A NZNZ N NO NNNX N/A N/
In the Matter of

ECHOSTAR SATELLITE OPERATING                                                    File No. SAT—STA—2012
CORPORATION                                                                     File No. SAT—STA—2012
                                                                                Call Sign $2741
Applications for Special Temporary
Authority to Move EchoStar 3 to, and
Operate It as an In—Orbit Spare at, 61.8°
W.L.



              APPLICATIONS FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY!

     _ EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation ("ESOC," and collectively with its affiliates,

"EchoStar") hereby requests 30—day special temporary authority ("STA") under Section

25.120(b) of the Commission‘s rules* beginning on or about April 30, 2012, (a) to move the

EchoStar 3 satellite from its current orbital position at 61.45° W.L. to the 61.8° W.L. orbital

position; and (b) to operate the satellite at 61.8° W.L. as an in—orbit spare. EchoStar further

requests a 180—day STA to operate EchoStar 3 at 61.8° W.L. as an in—orbit spare, once the

satellite has been relocated." This request is being made in anticipation of the upcoming launch




‘ Concurrent with this application, EchoStar is filing applications for STA to operate two of its
transmit/receive earth stations with EchoStar 3 to provide the necessary telemetry, tracking, and
control ("TT&C") service to EchoStar 3 during its relocation to 61.8° W.L. and once relocation
is complete.
247 C.F.R. § 25.120(b).
* EchoStar will maintain EchoStar 3 within a + 0.05° station—keeping box while at 61.8° W.L.


of EchoStar 16," and is part of a series of moves that EchoStar anticipates in order to

accommodate EchoStar 16 at the nominal 61.5° W.L. orbital location.

I.     BACKGROUND

       As the Commission is aware, on July 10, 2010, EchoStar successfully launched EchoStar

15, a 32—transponder Direct Broadcast Satellite ("DBS") that, in light of the loss of AMC—14,"

effectively replaced EchoStar 3.° EchoStar 15 became fully operational on August 5, 2010. To

accommodate testing and operation of EchoStar 15 at 61.55° W.L., and the concurrent and

efficient operation of EchoStar‘s other satellites at the nominal 61.5° W.L. orbital location, the

EchoStar 3 satellite was moved to 61.45° W.L.‘ EchoStar 3 acts as afi in—orbit spare, ready to

supplement service provided from the 61.5° W.L. orbital location, as needed, to maintain regular

programming. The continued operation of EchoStar 3 helps to ensure that ESOC‘s customer,

DISH Network L.L.C., will be able to continue providing DBS service to consumers without any

service interruptions.

       EchoStar is now preparing to launch the EchoStar 16 satellite as early as August 2012,

which will further supplement the service provided from 61.5° W.L. and ensure the continued

full utilization of the DBS spectrum at that orbital location. In anticipation of this launch and the

assumption of operations at 61.5° W.L. by EchoStar 16, EchoStar is repositioning the spacecraft

in the 61.5° W.L. orbital cluster. This move of EchoStar 3 to 61.8° W.L. is the first step in these


* See File Nos. SAT—LOA—20110902—00172 (filed Sept. 2, 2011); SAT—STA—20110902—00171
(filed Sept. 2, 2011); SAT—STA—20120315—00049 (filed Mar. 15, 2012).

* See Letter from Pantelis Michalopoulos, Counsel for EchoStar Corporation, to Marlene H.
Dortch, Secretary, FCC, File No. SAT—STA—20080923—00193 (Dec. 30, 2008).
8 See Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—LOA—20100310—00043 (granted July 1, 2010).
‘ EchoStar 3 currently operates as an in—orbit spare at 61.45° W.L. per STA that is set to expire
on May 2, 2012. See Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—STA—20111004—00195 (granted Nov. 16,
2011).


repositioning efforts. Upon completion of the EchoStar 3 relocation, EchoStar anticipates

seeking authority to move EchoStar 15 from 61.55° W.L. to the 61.65° W.L. location. With

EchoStar 12 at 61.35° W.L., the launch of EchoStar 16 to 61.5° W.L. will align each of

EchoStar‘s satellites at 0.15° separation, with the three operational satellites centered around the

61.5° W.L. nominal orbital location. Repositioning EchoStar 3 at 61.8° W.L. leaves the satellite

in close proximity to the 61.5° W.L. nominal orbital location and available, if needed, for

repositioning within the orbital cluster to provide service.

       Grant of the requested authority is consistent with Commission precedent. The

Commission has previously granted temporary authority to operate outside of an orbital cluster

on the condition that operations do not cause harmful interference to lawfully operating satellite

systems and that the satellite system operate without protection from lawful systems.° In fact, in

very similar circumstances, the Bureau approved a request by EchoStar for relocation of the

EchoStar 6 satellite outside of the 110° W.L. cluster."

       For the reasons set forth below, the relocation of EchoStar 3 to 61.8° W.L. will not cause

harmful interference to any authorized user of the spectrum and would be in the public interest.

Accordingly, the Commission should grant the requested STAs.




8 See Letter from Thomas S. Tycz, Chief, Satellite and Radio Communications Division, FCC, to
David K. Moskowitz, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for EchoStar Satellite
Corporation, at 2, dated Jan. 14, 2000 (granting authority to operate the EchoStar 4 satellite at
119.35° W.L., outside of the 119° W.L. cluster).

* See Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—STA—20060303—00023 (granted Apr. 28, 2006). The Bureau
repeatedly renewed this STA. See Stamp Grant, File No. SAT—STA—20061020—00124 (granted
Apr. 10, 2007); Public Notice, Policy Branch Information Actions Taken, Informative, 23 FCC
Red. 6586, 6586 (2008); Public Notice, Policy Branch Information Actions Taken, Special
Temporary Authority Grant of Authority, 23 FCC Red. 6902, 6903 (2008).


IL.     THIS REQUEST IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND WILL NOT CAUSE
        HARMFUL INTERFERENCE

        The requested STAs are in the public interest for the same reason EchoStar was granted

STA to operate EchoStar 3 as an in—orbit spare. Moreover, grant of this application will ensure

safe station—keeping margins for each of the satellites that are located at the nominal 61.5° W.L.’

orbital location.

        Relocation of EchoStar 3 to 61.8° W.L. as proposed herein will not harm adjacent

satellite operators, because EchoStar proposes to operate EchoStar 3 solely as an in—orbit spare

while at 61.8° W.L., and so will operate only the TT&C frequencies on the satellite.

Furthermore, the relocation will not adversely affect existing customers because the EchoStar 3

satellite itself is not carrying any traffic. The satellite‘s capacity has already been replaced by

EchoStar 15, which in turn is backed up by the capacity on EchoStar 12.

        During this relocation, EchoStar 3 will act solely as an in—orbit spare, unless it is needed

to provide capacity in the event of an anomaly affecting another satellite in the EchoStar fleet at

the nominal 61.5° W.L. orbital location. In the event that EchoStar 3‘s communications payload

is required to supplement service from that orbital location, EchoStar will seek appropriate

authority to move EchoStar 3 back within the orbital cluster of 61.5° W.L. before seeking to

provide service from the satellite.

III.    OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS

        During relocation maneuvers and maintenance of EchoStar 3 at the 61.8° W.L. orbital

location, all transponders other than the TT&C transponders will be switched off, and EchoStar

will operate the satellite subject to the following conditions:

        1. During the drift to the 61.8° W.L. orbital location, and while maintaining an orbit at
           that location, EchoStar shall not operate the main communications payload on
           EchoStar 3.


       2. EchoStar shall coordinate all drift orbit TT&C operations with other potentially
          affected in—orbit operators.

       3. Drift operations and operations at 61.8° W.L. shall be on a non—harmful interference
           basis, meaning that EchoStar shall not cause interference to, and shall not claim
           protections from, interference caused to it by any other lawfully operating satellites.

       4. In the event that any harmful interference is caused as a result of operations during
           the relocation of the EchoStar 3 satellite or while the satellite is at 61.8° W.L.,
           EchoStar shall cease operations immediately upon notification of such interference
           and shall inform the Commission immediately, in writing, of such event.

IV.    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, ESOC hereby waives any claim to the use of any particular frequency or use 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.

v.     CONCLUSION

       For the foregoing reasons, ESOC respectfully requests grant of its application for 30—day

STA, beginning on or about April 30, 2012, to move EchoStar 3 to 61.8° W.L. and to operate it

as an in—orbit spare. ESOC further requests that the Commission grant its application for STA to

operate EchoStar 3 at 61.8° W.L. as an in—orbit spare for 180 days.


                                                 Respectfully submitted,

                                                          Is/
Pantelis Michalopoulos                           Alison Minea
Stephanie A. Roy                                 Corporate Counsel
Steptoe & Johnson LLP                            EchoStar Satellite Operating Corporation
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW                       1110 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 750
Washington, D.C. 20036                           Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 429—3000                                   (202) 293—0981
Counselfor EchoStar Satellite Operating
Corporation


April 24, 2012



Document Created: 2012-06-12 17:14:27
Document Modified: 2012-06-12 17:14:27

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