Boeing Close to Approval for Broadband Satellite Array

October 12, 2021 by Dan McCue
Boeing Close to Approval for Broadband Satellite Array
A Boeing Satellite. (Boeing Photo)

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is poised to consider an application from Boeing to launch and run an array of broadband satellites.

Acting FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel circulated a proposal for voting on Boeing’s application last week.

Industry watchers have said the fact Rosenworcel went so far as to advance the proposal suggests it has or nearly has the votes to win approval.

If so, that approval has been a long time coming.

Boeing first filed its application seeking FCC approval to deploy a V-band array of 147 satellites in low Earth orbit in 2017.

At the time it said the array, working in conjunction with non-geostationary orbiting satellites, would greatly improve broadband internet access, particularly across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The application inspired some pushback from the industry, particularly from Elon Musk, who said in a letter to the FCC that Boeing’s proposal would create “harmful interference” for other system operators.

Musk’s SpaceX is a major player in the field. 

In late April, the FCC approved a SpaceX plan to deploy some 2,814 Starlink satellites at a lower earth orbit than planned as part of its push to offer space-based broadband internet.

The agency also modified SpaceX’s license by reducing its total number of satellites deployed for this purpose by one, from 4,409 to 4,408.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

A+
a-
  • Boeing
  • broadband
  • broadband Satellite array
  • FCC
  • telecom
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Broadband

    October 19, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    FCC Votes to Advance Bid to Restore Net Neutrality

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to proceed with a proposal to restore net neutrality and at... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to proceed with a proposal to restore net neutrality and at the same time, potentially, broaden the agency’s reach. The 3-2 party-line vote — with all Democratic commissioners voting in favor of the proposal — was the... Read More

    Biden Administration Announces More Funding for Rural Broadband Infrastructure

    The Biden administration on Monday continued its push toward internet-for-all by 2030, announcing about $667 million in new grants and... Read More

    The Biden administration on Monday continued its push toward internet-for-all by 2030, announcing about $667 million in new grants and loans to build more broadband infrastructure in the rural U.S. “With this investment, we’re getting funding to communities in every corner of the country because we... Read More

    April 27, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Hawaii to Net $115.5M for Broadband Projects

    WASHINGTON — As one of the most isolated populated places on Earth, Hawaii has long faced a litany of unique... Read More

    WASHINGTON — As one of the most isolated populated places on Earth, Hawaii has long faced a litany of unique communications challenges. But those days — and the island state’s heavy-duty reliance on submarine cables — are on the verge of being over. That’s because the... Read More

    March 2, 2023
    by Dan McCue
    Treasury Has Dispensed Nearly $5B for Broadband Expansion

    WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department has awarded nearly $5 billion from the Capital Projects Fund to pay for broadband expansion... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department has awarded nearly $5 billion from the Capital Projects Fund to pay for broadband expansion projects in 33 states, and expects to bestow the remaining $5 billion by the end of the year, the program’s director said on Wednesday. Speaking at... Read More

    Poor, Less White Areas Get Worst Internet Deals

    A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “It was... Read More

    A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “It was just a headache,” said Neville, who lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Orleans whose residents are almost all Black or Latino. “When I was getting... Read More

    September 30, 2022
    by Madeline Hughes
    Broadband Grant Leaves Alaskan Village ‘Giddy’

    PORT LIONS, Alaska — The residents of the native village of Port Lions and surrounding Alaskan villages are “giddy” at... Read More

    PORT LIONS, Alaska — The residents of the native village of Port Lions and surrounding Alaskan villages are “giddy” at the thought of getting internet through the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, said Denise May, the tribal administer for... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top