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by rrss 2389 days ago
It wasn't a "radio license." It was an authorization to "construct, deploy, and operate a proposed non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system comprising 4,425 satellites for the provision of fixed-satellite service (FSS) around the world."

I don't see why the FCC wouldn't consider impact to visual astronomy, when they did consider increased collision risk (also unrelated to any regulated frequencies).

> IAU publicly decried satellite constellations in January, months before May

Can you link to information about this public statement from January? When I google "IAU satellite constellations," I find only https://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann19035/ from June.
1 comments
mlyle 2388 days ago
> It wasn't a "radio license."

It's fundamentally a radio license:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/25.114

> when they did consider increased collision risk

Yup, they are supposed to evaluate orbital debris and collision risk, too, 47 CFR 25.114(d)(14). That, and equitable service (for some services) to Alaska/Hawaii are the only non-radio concerns they are permitted by regulation to consider.

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rrss 2388 days ago
> they are permitted by regulation

Where is the restriction to only those concerns? 47 CFR ยง 25.156 has some pretty vague language about "the public interest, convenience and necessity."

Thanks for pointing out that the FCC is required to evaluate orbital debris and collision risk, but I don't think the FCC is prohibited from considering other concerns (and i might be wrong on that).

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mlyle 2388 days ago
OK, OK, insert "explicitly" in front of "permitted by regulation."

The public comments relate to the adequacy of the application, which is required to address those points.

Yes, users of radio frequency spectrum do have public interest obligations. Thus far, for spacecraft this has been entirely confined to coverage requirements (aka, helping out Alaska when it's not infeasible).

It would be highly unusual-- and likely to be overturned in judicial review-- if the FCC were to decline to issue a radio license because of secondary impacts of the business. (Outside the specific areas where the FCC has been granted oversight-- environmental impacts of radio towers, space debris mitigation, safe operation of radio facilities, etc).

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