47 C.F.R. Subpart D—Technical Operations


Title 47 - Telecommunication


Title 47: Telecommunication
PART 25—SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

Browse Previous |  Browse Next

Subpart D—Technical Operations

Source:  58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, unless otherwise noted.

§ 25.271   Control of transmitting stations.

(a) The licensee of a facility licensed under this part is responsible for the proper operation and maintenance of the station.

(b) The licensee of a transmitting earth station, other than an ESV, licensed under this part shall ensure that a trained operator is present on the earth station site, or at a designated remote control point for the earth station, at all times that transmissions are being conducted. No operator's license is required for a person to operate or perform maintenance on facilities authorized under this part.

(c) Authority will be granted to operate a transmitting earth station, other than an ESV, by remote control only on the conditions that:

(1) The parameters of the transmissions of the remote station monitored at the control point, and the operational functions of the remote earth stations that can be controlled by the operator at the control point, are sufficient to insure that the operations of the remote station(s) are at times in full compliance with the remote station authorization(s);

(2) The earth station facilities are protected by appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized entry or operations;

(3) Upon detection by the license, or upon notification from the Commission of a deviation or upon notification by another licensee of harmful interference, the operation of the remote station shall be immediately suspended by the operator at the control point until the deviation or interference is corrected, except that transmissions concerning the immediate safety of life or property may be conducted for the duration of the emergency; and

(4) The licensee shall have available at all times the technical personnel necessary to perform expeditiously the technical servicing and maintenance of the remote stations.

(5) International VSAT system operators are required to maintain a control point within the United States, or to maintain a point of contact within the United States available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the ability to shut off any earth station within the VSAT network immediately upon notification of harmful interference.

(d) The licensee shall insure that the licensed facilities are properly secured against unauthorized access or use whenever an operator is not present at the transmitter.

(e) The licensee of an NGSO FSS system operating in the 10.7–14.5 GHz bands shall maintain an electronic web site bulletin board to list the satellite ephemeris data, for each satellite in the constellation, using the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) two-line orbital element format. The orbital elements shall be updated at least once every three days.

(f) Rules for control of transmitting ESVs are provided in §§25.221 and 25.222.

[58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, as amended at 66 FR 10631, Feb. 16, 2001; 70 FR 4787, Jan. 31, 2005; 70 FR 32257, June 2, 2005]

§ 25.272   General inter-system coordination procedures.

(a) Each space station licensee in the Fixed-Satellite Service shall establish a satellite network control center which will have the responsibility to monitor space-to-Earth transmissions in its system. This would indirectly monitor uplink earth station transmissions in its system and to coordinate transmissions in its satellite system with those of other systems to prevent harmful interference incidents or, in the event of a harmful interference incident, to identify the source of the interference and correct the problem promptly.

(b) Each space station licensee shall maintain on file with the Commission and with its Columbia Operations Center in Columbia, Maryland, a current listing of the names, titles, addresses and telephone numbers of the points of contact for resolution of interference problems. Contact personnel should include those responsible for resolution of short term, immediate interference problems at the system control center, and those responsible for long term engineering and technical design issues.

(c) The transmitting earth station licensee shall provide the operator(s) of the satellites, on which the licensee is authorized to transmit, contact telephone numbers for the control center of the earth station and emergency telephone numbers for key personnel; a current file of these contacts shall be maintained at each satellite system control center.

(d) An earth station licensee shall ensure that each of its authorized earth stations complies with the following:

(1) The earth station licensee shall ensure that there is continuously available means of communications between the satellite network control center and the earth station operator or its remote control point as designated by the licensee.

(2) The earth station operator shall notify the satellite network control center and receive permission from the control center before transmitting to the satellite or changing the basic characteristics of a transmission.

(3) The earth station operator shall keep the space station licensee informed of all actual and planned usage.

(4) Upon approval of the satellite network control center, the earth station operator may radiate an RF carrier into the designated transponder. Should improper illumination of the transponder or undue adjacent transponder interference be observed by the satellite network control center, the earth station operator shall immediately take whatever measures are needed to eliminate the problem.

(5) The space station licensee may delegate the responsibility and duties of the satellite network control center to a technically qualified user or group of users, but the space station licensee shall remain ultimately responsible for the performance of those duties.

[58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, as amended at 62 FR 5931, Feb. 10, 1997]

§ 25.273   Duties regarding space communications transmissions.

(a) No person shall:

(1) Transmit to a satellite unless the specific transmission is first authorized by the satellite network control center;

(2) Conduct transmissions over a transponder unless the operator is authorized by the satellite licensee or the satellite licensee's successor in interest to transmit at that time; or

(3) Transmit in any manner that causes unacceptable interference to the authorized transmission of another licensee.

(b) Satellite operators shall provide upon request by the Commission and by earth station licensees authorized to transmit on their satellites relevant information needed to avoid unacceptable interference to other users, including the polarization angles for proper illumination of a given transponder.

(c) Space station licensees are responsible for maintaining complete and accurate technical details of current and planned transmissions over their satellites, and shall require that authorized users of transponders on their satellites, whether by tariff or contract, provide any necessary technical information in this regard including that required by §25.272. Based on this information, space station licensees shall exchange among themselves general technical information concerning current and planned transmission parameters as needed to identify and promptly resolve any potential cases of unacceptable interference between their satellite systems.

(d) Space stations authorized after May 10, 1993 which do not satisfy the requirements of §25.210 may be required to accept greater constraints in resolving interference problems than complying ones. The extent of these constraints shall be determined on a case-by-case basis.

§ 25.274   Procedures to be followed in the event of harmful interference.

(a) The earth station operator whose transmission is suffering harmful interference shall first check the earth station equipment to ensure that the equipment is functioning properly.

(b) The earth station operator shall then check all other earth stations in the licensee's network that could be causing the harmful interference to ensure that none of the licensee's earth stations are the source of the interference and to verify that the source of interference is not from a local terrestrial source.

(c) After the earth station operator has determined that the source of the interference is not another earth station operating in the same network or from a terrestrial source, the earth station operator shall contact the satellite system control center and advise the satellite operator of the problem. The control center operator shall observe the interference incident and make reasonable efforts to determine the source of the problem. A record shall be maintained by the control center operator and the earth station operator of all harmful interference incidents and their resolution. These records shall be made available to an FCC representative on request.

(d) Where the suspected source of the interference incident is the operation of an earth station licensed to operate on one or more of the satellites in the satellite operator's system, the control center operator shall advise the offending earth station of the harmful interference incident and assist in the resolution of the problem where reasonably possible.

(e) The earth station licensee whose operations are suspected of causing harmful interference to the operations of another earth station shall take reasonable measures to determine whether its operations are the source of the harmful interference problem. Where the operations of the suspect earth station are the source of the interference, the licensee of that earth station shall take all measures necessary to resolve the interference.

(f) Where the earth station suspected of causing harmful interference to the operations of another earth station cannot be identified or is identified as an earth station operating on a satellite system other than the one on which the earth station suffering harmful interference is operating, it is the responsibility of a representative of the earth station suffering harmful interference to contact the control center of other satellite systems. The operator of the earth station suffering harmful interference is free to choose any representative to make this contact, including but not limited to the operator of the satellite system on which the earth station is operating. The operator of the earth station suffering harmful interference is also free to contact the control center of the other satellite systems directly.

(g) At any point, the system control center operator may contact the Commission's Columbia Operations Center in Columbia, Maryland, to assist in resolving the matter. This office specializes in the resolution of satellite interference problems. All licensees are required to cooperate fully with the Commission in any investigation of interference problems.

[58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, as amended at 62 FR 5931, Feb. 10, 1997; 70 FR 32257, June 2, 2005]

§ 25.275   Particulars of operation.

(a) Radio station authorizations issued under this part will normally specify only the frequency bands authorized for transmission and/or reception of the station.

(b) When authorized frequency bands are specified in the station authorization, the licensee is authorized to transmit any number of r.f. carriers on any discrete frequencies within an authorized frequency band in accordance with the other terms and conditions of the authorization and the requirements of this part. Specific r.f. carrier frequencies within the authorized frequency band shall be selected by the licensee to avoid unacceptable levels of interference being caused to other earth, space or terrestrial stations. Any coordination agreements, both domestic and international, concerning specific frequency usage constraints, including non-use of any particular frequencies within the frequency bands listed in the station authorization, are considered to be conditions of the station authorization.

(c) A license for a transmitting earth station will normally specify only the r.f. carriers having the highest e.i.r.p. density, the narrowest bandwidth, and the largest bandwidth authorized for transmission from that station. Unless otherwise specified in the station authorization, the licensee is authorized to transmit any other type of carrier not specifically listed which does not exceed the highest e.i.r.p., e.i.r.p. density and bandwidth prescribed for any listed emission.

(d) Only the most sensitive emission(s) for which protection is being afforded from interference in the authorized receive frequency band(s) will be specified in the station authorization.

§ 25.276   Points of communication.

(a) Unless otherwise specified in the station authorization, an earth station is authorized to transmit to any space station in the same radio service provided that permission has been received from the space station operator to access that space station.

(b) Space stations licensed under this part are authorized to provide service to earth stations located within the specified service area. Coastal waters within the outer continental shelf shall be considered to be included within the service area specified by the named land mass.

(c) Transmission to or from foreign points over space stations in the Fixed-Satellite Service, other than those operated by the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization and Inmarsat, are subject to the policies set forth in the Report and Order, adopted January 19, 1996 in IB Docket No. 95–41.

[58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, as amended at 61 FR 9953, Mar. 12, 1996]

§ 25.277   Temporary fixed earth station operations.

(a) When an earth station in the Fixed-Satellite Service is to remain at a single location for fewer than 6 months, the location may be considered to be temporary fixed. Services provided at a single location which are initially known to be of longer than six months' duration shall not be provided under a temporary fixed authorization.

(b) When a station, other than an ESV, authorized as a temporary fixed earth station, is to remain at a single location for more than six months, application for a regular station authorization at that location shall be filed at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the six-month period.

(c) The licensee of an earth station, other than an ESV, which is authorized to conduct temporary fixed operations in bands shared co-equally with terrestrial fixed stations shall provide the following information to the Director of the Columbia Operations Center at 9200 Farmhouse Lane, Columbia, Maryland 21046, and to the licensees of all terrestrial facilities lying within the coordination contour of the proposed temporary fixed earth station site before beginning transmissions:

(1) The name of the person operating the station and the telephone number at which the operator can be reached directly;

(2) The exact frequency or frequencies used and the type of emissions and power levels to be transmitted; and

(3) The commencement and anticipated termination dates of operation from each location.

(d) Except as set forth in §25.151(e), transmissions may not be commenced until all affected terrestrial licensees have been notified and the earth station operator has confirmed that unacceptable interference will not be caused to such terrestrial stations.

(e) Operations of temporary fixed earth stations shall cease immediately upon notice of harmful interference from the Commission or the affected licensee.

(f) Filing requirements concerning applications for new temporary fixed earth station facilities operating in frequency bands shared co-equally with terrestrial fixed stations.

(1) When the initial location of the temporary fixed earth station's operation is known, the applicant shall provide, as part of the Form 312 application, a frequency coordination report in accordance with §25.203 for the initial station location.

(2) When the initial location of the temporary fixed earth station's operation is not known at the time the application is filed, the applicant shall provide, as part of the Form 312 application, a statement by the applicant acknowledging its coordination responsibilities under §25.277.

[58 FR 13421, Mar. 11, 1993, as amended at 62 FR 5931, Feb. 10, 1997; 70 FR 4787, Jan. 31, 2005; 70 FR 32257, June 2, 2005]

§ 25.278   Additional coordination obligation for non-geostationary and geostationary satellite systems in frequencies allocated to the fixed-satellite service.

Licensees of non-geostationary satellite systems that use frequency bands allocated to the fixed-satellite service for their feeder link operations shall coordinate their operations with licensees of geostationary fixed-satellite service systems licensed by the Commission for operation in the same frequency bands. Licensees of geostationary fixed-satellite service systems in the frequency bands that are licensed to non-geostationary satellite systems for feeder link operations shall coordinate their operations with the licensees of such non-geostationary satellite systems.

[59 FR 53330, Oct. 21, 1994]

§ 25.279   Inter-satellite service.

(a) Any satellite communicating with other space stations may use frequencies in the inter-satellite service as indicated in §2.106 of this chapter. This does not preclude the use of other frequencies for such purposes as provided for in several service definitions, e.g., FSS. The technical details of the proposed inter-satellite link shall be provided in accordance with §25.114(c).

(b) Operating conditions. In order to ensure compatible operations with authorized users in the frequency bands to be utilized for operations in the inter-satellite service, these inter-satellite service systems must operate in accordance with the conditions specified in this section.

(1) Coordination requirements with federal government users. (i) In frequency bands allocated for use by the inter-satellite service that are also authorized for use by agencies of the federal government, the federal use of frequencies in the inter-satellite service frequency bands is under the regulatory jurisdiction of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

(ii) The Commission will use its existing procedures to reach agreement with NTIA to achieve compatible operations between federal government users under the jurisdiction of NTIA and inter-satellite service systems through frequency assignment and coordination practice established by NTIA and the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC). In order to facilitate such frequency assignment and coordination, applicants shall provide the Commission with sufficient information to evaluate electromagnetic compatibility with the federal government users of the spectrum, and any additional information requested by the Commission. As part of the coordination process, applicants shall show that they will not cause interference to authorized federal government users, based upon existing system information provided by the government. The frequency assignment and coordination of the satellite system shall be completed prior to grant of construction authorization.

(2) Coordination among inter-satellite service systems. Applicants for authority to establish inter-satellite service are encouraged to coordinate their proposed frequency usage with existing permittees and licensees in the inter-satellite service whose facilities could be affected by the new proposal in terms of frequency interference or restricted system capacity. All affected applicants, permittees, and licensees, shall at the direction of the Commission, cooperate fully and make every reasonable effort to resolve technical problems and conflicts that may inhibit effective and efficient use of the radio spectrum; however, the permittee or licensee being coordinated with is not obligated to suggest changes or re-engineer an applicant's proposal in cases involving conflicts.

[59 FR 53331, Oct. 21, 1994, as amended at 65 FR 59144, Oct. 4, 2000]

§ 25.280   Inclined orbit operations.

(a) Satellite operators may commence operation in inclined orbit mode without obtaining prior Commission authorization provided that the Commission is notified by letter within 30 days after the last north-south station keeping maneuver. The notification shall include:

(1) The operator's name;

(2) The date of commencement of inclined orbit operation;

(3) The initial inclination;

(4) The rate of change in inclination per year; and

(5) The expected end-of-life of the satellite accounting for inclined orbit operation, and the maneuvers specified under §25.283 of the Commission's rules.

(b) Licensees operating in inclined-orbit are required to:

(1) Periodically correct the satellite attitude to achieve a stationary spacecraft antenna pattern on the surface of the Earth and centered on the satellite's designated service area;

(2) Control all electrical interference to adjacent satellites, as a result of operating in an inclined orbit, to levels not to exceed that which would be caused by the satellite operating without an inclined orbit;

(3) Not claim protection in excess of the protection that would be received by the satellite network operating without an inclined orbit; and

(4) Continue to maintain the space station at the authorized longitude orbital location in the geostationary satellite arc with the appropriate east-west station-keeping tolerance.

[69 FR 54587, Sept. 9, 2004]

§ 25.281   Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS).

All satellite uplink transmissions carrying broadband video information shall be identified through the use of an automatic transmitter identification system as specified below.

(a) Effective March 1, 1991, all satellite video uplink facilities shall be equipped with an ATIS encoder meeting the specifications set forth in paragraph (d) of this section.

(b) All video uplink facilities utilizing a transmitter manufactured on or after March 1, 1991 shall be equipped with an ATIS encoder meeting the performance specifications set forth in paragraph (d) of this section and the encoder shall be integrated into the uplink transmitter chain in a method that cannot easily be defeated.

(c) The ATIS signal shall be a separate subcarrier which is automatically activated whenever any RF emissions occur. The ATIS information shall continuously repeat.

(d) The ATIS signal shall consist of the following:

(1) A subcarrier signal generated at a frequency of 7.1 MHz ±25 KHz and injected at a level no less than −26 dB (referenced to the unmodulated carrier). The subcarrier deviation shall not exceed 25 kHz peak deviation.

(2) The protocol shall be International Morse Code keyed by a 1200 Hz ±800 Hz tone representing a mark and a message rate of 15 to 25 words per minute. The tone shall frequency modulate the subcarrier signal.

(3) The ATIS signal as a minimum shall consist of the following:

(i) The FCC assigned earth station call sign;

(ii) A telephone number providing immediate access to personnel capable of resolving ongoing interference or coordination problems with the station;

(iii) A unique ten digit serial number of random number code programmed into the ATIS device in a permanent manner such that it cannot be readily changed by the operator on duty;

(iv) Additional information may be included within the ATIS data stream provided the total message length, including ATIS, does not exceed 30 seconds.

[55 FR 21551, May 25, 1990. Redesignated at 62 FR 5932, Feb. 10, 1997]

§ 25.282   Orbit raising maneuvers.

A space station authorized to operate in the geostationary satellite orbit under this part is also authorized to transmit in connection with short-term, transitory maneuvers directly related to post-launch, orbit-raising maneuvers, provided that the following conditions are met:

(a) Authority is limited to those tracking, telemetry, and control frequencies in which the space station is authorized to operate once it reaches its assigned geostationary orbital location;

(b) In the event that any unacceptable interference does occur, the space station licensee shall cease operations until the issue is rectified;

(c) The space station licensee is required to accept interference from any lawfully operating satellite network or radio communication system.

[69 FR 54587, Sept. 9, 2004]

§ 25.283   End-of-life disposal.

(a) Geostationary orbit space stations. Unless otherwise explicitly specified in an authorization, a space station authorized to operate in the geostationary satellite orbit under this part shall be relocated, at the end of its useful life, barring catastrophic failure of satellite components, to an orbit with a perigee with an altitude of no less than:

36,021 km + (1000·CA/m)

where CR is the solar pressure radiation coefficient of the spacecraft, and A/m is the Area to mass ratio, in square meters per kilogram, of the spacecraft.

(b) A space station authorized to operate in the geostationary satellite orbit under this part may operate using its authorized tracking, telemetry and control frequencies, and outside of its assigned orbital location, for the purpose of removing the satellite from the geostationary satellite orbit at the end of its useful life, provided that the conditions of paragraph (a) of this section are met, and on the condition that the space station's tracking, telemetry and control transmissions are planned so as to avoid electrical interference to other space stations, and coordinated with any potentially affected satellite networks.

(c) All space stations. Upon completion of any relocation authorized by paragraph (b) of this section, or any relocation at end-of-life specified in an authorization, or upon a spacecraft otherwise completing its authorized mission, a space station licensee shall ensure, unless prevented by technical failures beyond its control, that all stored energy sources on board the satellite are discharged, by venting excess propellant, discharging batteries, relieving pressure vessels, and other appropriate measures.

(d) The minimum perigee requirement of paragraph (a) of this section shall not apply to space stations launched prior to March 18, 2002.

[69 FR 54588, Sept. 9, 2004]

§ 25.284   Emergency Call Center Service.

(a) Providers of mobile satellite service to end-user customers (part 25, subparts A–D) must provide Emergency Call Center service to the extent that they offer real-time, two way switched voice service that is interconnected with the public switched network and utilize an in-network switching facility which enables the provider to reuse frequencies and/or accomplish seamless hand-offs of subscriber calls. Emergency Call Center personnel must determine the emergency caller's phone number and location and then transfer or otherwise redirect the call to an appropriate public safety answering point. Providers of mobile satellite services that utilize earth terminals that are not capable of use while in motion are exempt from providing Emergency Call Center service for such terminals.

(b) Beginning February 11, 2005, each mobile satellite service carrier that is subject to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section must maintain records of all 911 calls received at its emergency call center. Beginning October 15, 2005, and on each following October 15, mobile satellite service carriers providing service in the 1.6/2.4 GHz and 2 GHz bands must submit a report to the Commission regarding their call center data, current as of September 30 of that year. Beginning June 30, 2006, and on each following June 30, mobile satellite service carriers providing service in bands other than 1.6/2.4 GHz and 2 GHz must submit a report to the Commission regarding their call center data, current as of May 31 of that year. These reports must include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) The name and address of the carrier, the address of the carrier's emergency call center, and emergency call center contact information;

(2) The aggregate number of calls received by the call center each month during the relevant reporting period;

(3) An indication of how many calls received by the call center each month during the relevant reporting period required forwarding to a public safety answering point and how many did not require forwarding to a public safety answering point.

[69 FR 6582, Feb. 11, 2004, as amended at 69 FR 54042, Sept. 7, 2004]

Browse Previous |  Browse Next

chanrobles.com


ChanRobles Legal Resources:

ChanRobles On-Line Bar Review

ChanRobles Internet Bar Review : www.chanroblesbar.com

ChanRobles MCLE On-line

ChanRobles Lawnet Inc. - ChanRobles MCLE On-line : www.chanroblesmcleonline.com