Attachment Narrative

This document pretains to SES-STA-20130517-00416 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESSTA2013051700416_997489

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



In the Matter of:

EchoStar Broadcasting Corporation
                                                    File No. SES-STA-2013____-_____
Application for Special Temporary                   Call Sign E980118
Authority to Test Communications with the
DBSD G-1 Satellite Using Two Earth                  File No. SES-STA-2013____-_____
Stations (Call Signs E980118 and E020233)           Call Sign E020233
over C-Band Frequencies



               APPLICATION FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY

I.     INTRODUCTION

       EchoStar Broadcasting Corporation (“EBC,” and with its affiliates, “EchoStar”) hereby

requests 10-day special temporary authority (“STA”) to perform testing for emergency telemetry,

tracking, and control (“TT&C”) operations with the New DBSD Satellite Services G.P.

(“DBSD”) G-1 satellite (Call Sign S2651) over C-band frequencies using two earth stations (Call

Signs E980118 and E020233). Specifically, EchoStar requests STA to conduct its testing using

the following frequencies: 6424.5 and 5925.5 MHz (uplink to satellite); and 3701.5 and 4198.5

MHz (downlink from satellite). EchoStar also requests, to the extent required, a temporary

waiver of Section 25.202(g) of the Federal Communications Commission’s (“Commission”)

rules for the duration of the STA. EchoStar asks that this authorization commence on June 18,

2013 and run through June 27, 2013.

       EchoStar has pending modification requests for these two earth stations to permit C-band

TT&C operations with the DBSD G-1 satellite under certain circumstances pursuant to its

coordination agreement with Intelsat License LLC (“Intelsat”), which is authorized to operate at

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the nominal 93° W.L. orbital location.1 The tests undertaken pursuant to the requested STA will

enable EchoStar to ensure that these emergency TT&C frequencies remain available should they

be needed. This is the second year that EchoStar has requested STA to perform annual testing of

these C-band frequencies with DBSD G-1; EchoStar asked for, and received, similar authority in

July 2012 for these same earth stations.2

II.    THE REQUESTED SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY IS IN THE PUBLIC
       INTEREST

       The Commission has a long-standing policy of granting STA where such authorization

will serve the public interest, convenience and necessity, and does not cause harmful

interference.3 The requested operations meet these tests.

       DBSD G-1 is a UK-flagged satellite operating at the 92.85° W.L. orbital location,

authorized under a Letter of Intent (“LOI”) to provide Mobile-Satellite Services (“MSS”) using

the 2000-2010 and 2190-2200 MHz band, feeder-link transmissions using 18.55-18.8/19.7-20.2

GHz (Earth-to-space) and 29.25-30.0 GHz (space-to-Earth) bands, and primary TT&C

transmissions at 29.9955 and 29.9995 GHz (command) and 20.1965 and 20.1985 GHz

(telemetry).4 On March 2, 2012, the Commission approved the transfer of control over DBSD’s

authorizations, including the LOI authorization for the G-1 satellite, to DISH Network



1
 See Narrative, File Nos. SES-MFS-20120612-00507, Call Sign E980118 (filed June 12, 2012);
SES-MFS-20120612-00506, Call Sign E020233 (filed June 12, 2012); see also New ICO
Satellite Services G.P., 21 FCC Rcd. 14612 ¶ 15 n.43 (2006).
2
 Stamp Grant, File Nos. SES-STA-20120713-00651, Call Sign E980118 (July 20, 2012); SES-
STA-20120713-00652, Call Sign E020233 (July 20, 2012).
3
 See, e.g., Columbia Communications Corp., Order, 11 FCC Rcd. 8639, 8640 (1996); American
Telephone & Telegraph Co., Order, 8 FCC Rcd. 8742 (1993); Newcomb Communications, Inc.,
Order and Authorization, 8 FCC Rcd. 3631, 3633 (1993).
4
 See Stamp Grant, File Nos. SAT-MOD-20070919-00129, Call Sign S2651 (Apr. 2, 2008);
SAT-AMD-20071129-00166, Call Sign S2651 (Apr. 2, 2008).

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Corporation (“DISH”).5 EchoStar provides technical and operational support for the G-1

satellite.

         The requested STA serves the public interest because it will allow EchoStar to ensure that

it will be able to maintain control over DBSD G-1 in the event of an emergency affecting the

satellite’s primary TT&C frequencies, decreasing the chance of loss of service from the G-1

satellite itself and from satellites operating nearby.

         Further, grant of this application will not cause harmful interference to any other lawful

user of spectrum. The DBSD G-1 satellite’s C-band TT&C capabilities allow it to independently

select frequencies in 250 kHz increments over 5 MHz bandwidth at the band edges, and can be

changed in orbit if required, allowing flexibility to coordinate any temporary use of the C-band

frequencies. Moreover, an agreement is in place with Intelsat, which has C-band authorization at

the nominal 93° W.L. orbital location, to permit use of the frequencies requested herein when

certain circumstances exist,6 and the particular testing operations at issue here are being

conducted in coordination with Intelsat.

III.     THE REQUESTED WAIVER IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST

         Section 25.202(g) of the Commission’s rules requires operators of “U.S. domestic

satellites” to conduct their TT&C functions in the same frequency bands in which they are

providing service, and using frequencies designed to minimize interference into other satellite



5
 See DBSD North America, Inc., Debtor-in-Possession; New DBSD Satellite Services G.P.,
Debtor-in-Possession; Pendrell Corporation, Transferor; and TerreStar License Inc., Debtor-in-
Possession; Assignor, and DISH Network Corporation, Transferee; and Gamma Acquisition
L.L.C.; Assignee Applications for Consent to Assign/Transfer Control of Licenses and
Authorizations of New DBSD Satellite Services G.P., Debtor-in-Possession and TerreStar
License Inc., Debtor-in-Possession, IB Docket No. 11-150, Order, DA 12-332 (rel. Mar. 2,
2012).
6
    See New ICO Satellite Services G.P., 21 FCC Rcd. 14612 ¶ 15 n.43 (2006).

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networks.7 The International Bureau has deferred requests from DBSD to use the C-band for

TT&C until DBSD presented the issue “in the context of an earth station application that seeks

authority to use C-band” to communicate with the DBSD G-1 satellite—the very subject of this

STA and waiver request.8

          The Commission may waive its rules for good cause shown, particularly where strict

compliance with a rule is inconsistent with the public interest when taking “into account

considerations of hardship, equity, or more effective implementation of overall policy.”9 Such a

waiver is in the public interest here. EchoStar is requesting authorization to conduct testing of

DBSD G-1’s TT&C subsystem over the C-band in order to decrease the chance of loss of service

from the G-1 satellite itself and from satellites operating nearby in the unlikely event that DBSD

G-1’s primary TT&C capabilities are compromised. Thus, waiving Section 25.202(g) for this

testing would decrease the risk of losing service from DBSD.10

IV.       OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS

          EchoStar will conduct operations pursuant to the requested STA subject to the following

conditions:

      •   C-band operations shall be on a non-harmful interference basis, meaning that C-band
          communications with DBSD G-1 shall not cause harmful interference to, and shall not
          claim protections from interference caused to it by, any other lawfully operating
          satellites.




7
    47 C.F.R. § 25.202(g).
8
 See Stamp Grant, File Nos. SAT-MOD-20070919-00129, Call Sign S2651 (Apr. 2, 2008);
SAT-AMD-20071129-00166 ¶ 3, Call Sign S2651 (Apr. 2, 2008).
9
    47 C.F.R. § 1.3; WAIT Radio v. FCC, 418 F.2d 1153, 1159 (D.C. Cir. 1969).
10
  The Commission has allowed out-of-band TT&C where such operations are coordinated with
co-frequency spectrum users. See, e.g., Astrolink Int’l LLC, 15 FCC Rcd. 23738 ¶ 9 (2000).

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     •   In the event that any harmful interference is caused as a result of C-band TT&C
         operations with DBSD G-1, EchoStar shall cease all C-band operations with DBSD G-1
         immediately upon notification of such interference and will immediately inform the
         Commission, in writing, of such event.

V.       CONCLUSION

         EchoStar respectfully requests grant of the requested 10-day STA from June 18, 2013

through June 27, 2013 and a temporary waiver of Section 25.202(g) to perform testing of DBSD

G-1’s C-band TT&C subsystem as in the public interest.



                                              Respectfully submitted,



                                                           /s/
                                              Pantelis Michalopoulos
                                              Stephanie A. Roy
                                              Steptoe & Johnson LLP
                                              1330 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
                                              Washington, D.C. 20036
                                              (202) 429-3000
                                              Counsel for EchoStar Broadcasting
                                              Corporation

May 17, 2013




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Document Created: 2013-05-17 14:40:20
Document Modified: 2013-05-17 14:40:20

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