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by resters 2834 days ago
Exactly. The FCC was quite likely in the wrong here as well (but in the right on net neutrality). Just because tiny sats are not detectable by US systems does not mean progress should be held back. Time for inept regulators to step aside.

The FCC ignores millions of part 15 violations every year and has allowed massive terrestrial RF noise pollution to become a major problem. This is not an agency that ever enforces much of anything, so it seems quite likely that this move was an attempt to protect crony firms with existing sats and incumbent business interests.

2 comments

Just because tiny sats are not detectable by US systems does not mean progress should be held back. Time for inept regulators to step aside.

So if there's a Kessler Syndrome due to a proliferation of satellites in a class of orbits and payload sizes, due to an inability to enforce regulations, you just shrug your shoulders? Responsible innovators would first develop a means to detect those tiny sats. Corner reflectors aren't inherently heavy or costly.

so it seems quite likely that this move was an attempt to protect crony firms with existing sats and incumbent business interests.

That also seems likely.

FCC's purpose, since their creation, is "to protect crony firms". No one is shocked that they're doing it in space now.