From: telecomdigestsubmissions@remove-this.telecom-digest.org   
      
   By J.G. Harrington and Henry Wendel   
      
   The Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules to expand   
   the use of spectrum in the 17 gigahertz band to transmit data to   
   Earth. This decision allows the spectrum, which previously had been   
   reserved for feeder links and direct broadcast satellite (DBS)   
   service, to be used by any geostationary satellite operators providing   
   fixed-satellite service. It also is noteworthy because the FCC   
   rejected requests to set this spectrum aside for terrestrial wireless   
   use and instead affirmed that it should be used for satellite   
   services.   
      
   Historically, 17 GHz spectrum has been used for feeder links, which   
   send signals from the Earth to satellites, but the FCC made the band   
   available to DBS operators for space-to-Earth transmissions in   
   2007. This decision makes the spectrum from 17.3 to 17.7 GHz and 17.7   
   to 17.8 GHz available to other satellite service operators using   
   geostationary satellites to reach fixed customer locations. The new   
   rules also authorize blanket licensing of earth stations in the 17 GHz   
   frequencies, including earth stations used in moving vehicles. The FCC   
   expects that the new spectrum will be used to support broadband   
   operations – and that satellite operators will take advantage of spot   
   beam technology to reuse the spectrum efficiently across the US.   
      
   https://tinyurl.com/5yefhcdb   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)