Attachment Exhibit B_

This document pretains to SES-STA-20181017-03285 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESSTA2018101703285_1558366

                                                                                          Exhibit 1


                  REQUEST FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY

         Pursuant to Section 25.120 of the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC” or

“Commission”) rules, 47 C.F.R. §25.120, GCI Communication Corp. (“GCI”) is seeking a 60-

day special temporary authorization (“STA”) commencing immediately,1 to operate an

emergency temporary fixed satellite service (“FSS”) earth station in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band (the

“C-Band”).2 Specifically, by this application (the “Application”), GCI is seeking temporary

authorization to provide service over the license identified by call sign E020283 (referred to

herein as the “License”), covering locations in the extremely rural geographic areas of

Chalkyitsik (the “Market”). Because GCI is requesting an STA for a period not to exceed 60

days pursuant to 47 C.F.R. §25.120(3), and includes in this Application an accompanying




1
  GCI submits that there are “extraordinary reasons . . . that could not have been earlier foreseen”
that warrant a waiver of the three working day review period pursuant to 47 C.F.R. § 25.120(a).
Here, GCI recognized that due to an administrative error, the License has been terminated.
However, GCI needs to provide critical services pursuant to the License. GCI seeks this
emergency STA to utilize the above-reference antenna on C-Band spectrum as soon as possible
in order to provide reliable services to these areas.
2
  GCI recognizes that the International, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Wireless
Telecommunications Bureaus (the “Bureaus”) recently announced a freeze effective April 19,
2018 “on the filing of new or modification applications for [FSS] earth station licenses, receive-
only earth station registrations, and fixed microwave licenses in the 3.7-4.2 GHz frequency
band.” Based on the text of the Public Notice, STA requests for FSS earth station licenses in the
C-Band are not covered by the freeze. However, out of an abundance of caution, if the Bureaus
were to determine that such an STA is considered a filing prohibited by this freeze, GCI
respectfully requests a waiver of the freeze, as a grant of this STA request would “serve the
public interest and not undermine the objectives of the freeze,” as detailed herein and further
discussed in GCI’s request for waiver of this filing freeze in connection with its license
application. See also Temporary Freeze on Applications for New or Modified Fixed Satellite
Service Earth Stations and Fixed Microwave Stations in the 3.7-4.2 GHz Band, 90 Day Window
to File Applications for Earth Stations Currently Operating in 3.7-4.2 GHz Band, Public Notice,
1, 3, DA 18-398 (rel. Apr. 19, 2018).
{00129233;v3}                                    1


                                                                                           Exhibit 1


waiver,3 this Application need not be placed on public notice and should be granted

expeditiously pursuant to the rules. GCI’s operation of this Station would not cause harmful

interference into surrounding networks, and as demonstrated below, there are extraordinary

circumstances supporting the immediate grant of these temporary operations which are in the

public interest and any delay in the institution of these temporary operations would seriously

prejudice the public interest. By this filing, GCI seeks an STA to immediately provide service

over the License for 60 days or less, pending FCC action on the waiver and license request filed

by GCI with respect to the License.4

         GCI seeks a STA in this instance in order to “provide the same service as previously

authorized” under the License. Under the Commission’s rules, a STA may be valid for “60 days

or less, pending the filing of any application for regular authorization of the subject operation.”

In addition, a STA may be granted “upon a finding that there are extraordinary circumstances

requiring operation in the public interest and that delay in the institution of such service would

seriously prejudice the public interest.”

         GCI seeks such STA due to the untimely filing of its renewal application for the License.

The GCI employee responsible for making the filing inadvertently missed the filing date. Once

this was known, the employee took immediate steps to initiate this license application, a waiver




3
  As discussed above, GCI recognizes the current filing freeze on new applications for FSS earth
station licenses, and will be seeking a waiver of the freeze in connection this filing,
demonstrating that waiver will serve the public interest and not undermine the objectives of the
freeze.
4
 GCI is concurrently seeking waiver of the renewal application filing deadline for the License
due to an administrative error that resulted in GCI not timely filing the renewal application.
{00129233;v3}                                     2


                                                                                          Exhibit 1


and this STA request. Furthermore, GCI is currently adopting additional procedures to help

avoid such administrative errors in the future.

         Grant of this request for STA is necessary for GCI to provide reliable communications

services to GCI’s customers and would serve the public interest. In this instance, GCI would use

this License to provide service to the Yukon Flats School District and to provide rural Internet

service to the local community, which is in an extremely rural area in Alaska. A grant of the

STA would allow GCI to provide important service to the public over the License. Here, “there

are extraordinary circumstances requiring temporary operations in the public interest” and “delay

in the institution of these temporary operations would seriously prejudice the public interest.”5

The substantial public service record of GCI indicates that the company is committed to

providing service to consumers in Alaska. Thus, allowing a STA to permit GCI to provide

service over the License, for 60 days (or less, pending the grant of GCI’s accompanying license

application), would certainly be in the public interest. This service illustrates a “compelling

reason” to expeditiously grant the requested STA.

         This Application demonstrates that the public interest would be served by a limited STA,

of 60 days or less pending the grant of GCI’s license application.




5
    47 C.F.R. §25.120(b)(1).
{00129233;v3}                                     3





Document Created: 2018-10-15 10:09:58
Document Modified: 2018-10-15 10:09:58

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