November 29: The race to provide internet from space
In November, a flurry of space companies filed requests with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for new or expanded broadband networks.
Source: CNBC
Published: November 2021
The race to provide internet from space
A flurry of space companies filed requests in November with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for new or expanded broadband networks. The companies are asking the FCC for access to what is known as V-band spectrum, a range of frequency that will be used to provide broadband internet service from space.
Requests came from:
Company: Amazon (Project Kuiper)
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington
Satellites requested: 7,774
Company: Astra
Headquarters: Alameda, California
Satellites requested: 13,620
Company: Boeing
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
Satellites requested: 5,789
Company: Inmarsat
Headquarters: London, England
Satellites requested: 198
Company: Intelsat
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Satellites requested: 216
Company: Hughes
Headquarters: Germantown, Maryland
Satellites requested: 1,440
Company: OneWeb
Headquarters: London, England
Satellites requested: 6,372
Company: SpinLaunch
Headquarters: Long Beach, California
Satellites requested: 1,190
Company: Telesat
Headquarters: Ottawa, Canada
Satellites requested: 1,373
*Satellites requested include both new or expanded constellation.
Bonus: Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has deployed 1,740 of its Starlink broadband satellites already, was not among the recent batch of applicants. The FCC previously authorized SpaceX to launch about 7,500 V-band Starlink satellites, and the company is working on plans for nearly 30,000 satellites in its “Gen2” system.
What gives FCC the authority to make decisions in this? thousands of satellites in space have an impact on the whole globe. Shouldn't the whole globe have a say in what number and which satellites we allow there?