The CSSMA meeting was part of ongoing efforts to develop the smallsat industry by facilitating spectrum coordination and harnessing the industry’s voice on pertinent matters.
Tony Lin
CSSMA Highlights WRC Advocacy, Earth Station Service Industry
WRC-19 Revamps ITU Radio Regulations to Accommodate Emerging Communications Technologies
Communications technologies often evolve more quickly than the regulatory frameworks governing them. To keep pace, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) revisits the ITU’s Radio Regulations governing radiofrequency spectrum use approximately every four years to accommodate new technologies and uses. Between WRCs, national administrations and ITU sector members (interested companies and trade associations, for example) meet in working parties to study how proposed rule revisions would impact existing and planned services. Following four years of careful deliberations at the ITU working party level, more than 3,400 participants
World Satellite Week Brings Smallsats and CSSMA to Paris
The Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) held its second meeting of 2019 in Paris on September 10, during World Satellite Business Week. CSSMA members gathered at the office of the French Centre National D’Études Spatiales (CNES) for a half-day session featuring industry updates and presentations. Approximately thirty CSSMA members, along with CNES and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) representatives, participated. During the meeting, CSSMA announced its new officer board. Michael Miniero of Hawkeye 360 will serve as chairman, Nick Spina of Kepler Communications as president, Emilie Siemssen
Smallsat 2019 Highlights 2020 Could Shake out the Smallsat Industry on Multiple Fronts
On August 3-8, the small satellite (“smallsat”) community flocked to Logan, Utah for Smallsat 2019. The conference drew nearly 3500 participants representing more than one thousand organizations and forty-five countries. The attendees included smallsat operators, ground-station-as-a-service providers, launchers and launch integrators, component manufacturers, students, enthusiasts, and even some attorneys. In addition to the noticeable increase in attendance, a few other themes, highlighted below, jumped out. Orbital debris mitigation continues to dominate conversation The keynote by OneWeb’s Greg Wyler set the initial tone: companies should be focusing on satellite reliability and not
2019 CSSMA-SFCG Workshop, Pre-Coordination Meetings with Federal Agencies, and other Satellite Week Events
In May 2019, the Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) hosted two groundbreaking events at the Hogan Lovells Washington DC office. The first was a series of scheduled company-specific, pre-coordination meetings with federal agencies and operators designed to facilitate the shared use of spectrum. The second was a spectrum workshop with the Space Frequency Coordination Group (SFCG). The events are part of CSSMA’s continuing efforts to facilitate discussion, growth, and education in the smallsat industry both in the United States and abroad.
A Big Year for Smallsats: Conference Highlights Optimism and Diversity in the Growing Industry
At the 2019 Smallsat Symposium in Silicon Valley, leading innovators, experts, and entrepreneurs in the industry gathered to discuss their achievements and the expanding opportunities for funding, launch, and partnerships.
NOAA Hosts First Ever Interagency Satellite Workshop
In October, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) brought together NOAA licensees and prospective licensees and representatives from across the federal government for a workshop on U.S. satellite licensing and compliance regulations. The first of its kind, this three-day event was designed to promote transparency and awareness about government processes and to improve engagement with regulators. The event received widespread support from senior government officials and was well attended by industry.
Smallsat Association Trailblazes Regulatory Path for Smallsat Operators
For many smallsat operators, solving difficult technical problems is the easy part of the mission; obtaining regulatory approvals is the hard part. The Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) is working to change that.
FCC set to initiate “small satellite” Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
On 27 March 2018, the FCC released a draft of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) (which was adopted on 17 April 2018) seeking comments on proposals to streamline the licensing process for “small satellites,” more commonly known as “smallsats.” By initiating this proceeding, which has been long-anticipated by the smallsat community, the FCC will be recognizing the growing role of smallsat systems in commercial space activities (which we’ve blogged about here and here) and that greater flexibility in the FCC’s “Part 25” satellite licensing rules would be helpful in
Spring is the Season for Satellites! Hogan Lovells Hosts CSSMA Meeting and the First “SatelliteEves” Women in Space Event
Every spring, thousands of satellite industry stakeholders descend upon Washington, DC for the industry’s premier satellite conference. This year, the Satellite 2018 conference drew over 14,500+ satellite and space industry stakeholders, including many companies driving innovation and growth in the smallsat sector. In support of the smallsat industry, Hogan Lovells and attorneys Tony Lin and Sarah Leggin hosted a meeting of the Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (“CSSMA”), an organization dedicated to creating transparent and expedited spectrum coordination process through educational outreach, sharing best practices, and regulatory advocacy. The CSSMA
Smallsat companies form trade association to address issues facing the smallsat community
At the annual Smallsat conference in Logan, Utah, the Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) held its first meeting since legally forming earlier this month. A number of well-known smallsat operators and other companies have joined the organization, which seeks to advance a number of goals common to the smallsat community. These goals include creating conditions for a transparent and expedited spectrum coordination process for shared spectrum and advocating CSSMA views on spectrum management and other policy matters affecting the smallsat community.
White House Announces Big Initiative to Support Small Satellites
Last month, the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (“OSTP”) announced the “Harnessing the Small Satellite Revolution” initiative. OSTP committed to working with NASA, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and other Federal agencies to promote and support both government and private use of small satellites for remote sensing, communications, science, and the exploration of space. As part of the initiative, OSTP identified several steps that these Federal agencies will take or have taken recently to foster innovation in the development and use of smallsat technologies. For
TMT2020: CSSMA Holds First Working Meeting
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are excited to present this entry in our TMT2020 series, which reflects the key technology, media, and telecoms legal issues that are expected to impact today’s organizations and tomorrow’s marketplace. It also provides an opportunity to highlight contributions by TMT colleagues across our global offices and practice areas. On September 16th, the Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Association (CSSMA) held its first working meeting at the Washington D.C. office of Hogan Lovells with the goal of facilitating spectrum pre-coordination between federal agencies and commercial smallsat operators, as we previously
A Comparison of the DOJ and FCC Merger Review Processes: A Practitioner’s Perspective
Several recent high-profile mergers in the communications industry have faced scrutiny from multiple U.S. federal agencies. These transactions, both successful and unsuccessful, have drawn attention to the process by which the U.S. government approves or blocks mergers and acquisitions in the communications and broadband Internet industries. Parallel investigations by both the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice highlight the similarities and differences between their respective merger review processes. While the agencies analyze transactions simultaneously and in consultation with each other, each agency follows different standards and processes for their
TMT2020: Commercial Smallsat Spectrum Management Association (CSSMA) Launches at Smallsat 2016 in Logan, Utah
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are excited to present this entry in our TMT2020 series, which reflects the key technology, media, and telecoms legal issues that are expected to impact today’s organizations and tomorrow’s marketplace. It also provides an opportunity to highlight contributions by TMT colleagues across our global offices and practice areas. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Smallsat Conference held at Utah State University. An estimated 2,200 attendees, approximately 10% more than last year, flew into Logan, Utah (population ~48,000) from all parts of the world to see
TMT 2020: SmallSats are Big in Logan, Utah
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are excited to present this entry in our new TMT2020 series, which reflects the key technology, media, and telecoms legal issues that are expected to impact today’s organizations and tomorrow’s marketplace. It also provides an opportunity to highlight contributions by TMT associates across our global offices and practice areas. Fresh air, lush mountains and blue banners greeted an estimated 1,800 attendees to the 29th annual SmallSat conference in Logan, Utah this year. The conference, which is organized every year by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
U.S. FCC Releases Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Extend Video Programming Rights to Over-the-Top Video Providers
Note: The post below has been updated to reflect extended comment and reply comment filing deadlines. On December 19, 2014, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) proposing to give over-the-top (“OTT”) video programming providers certain legacy negotiating and carriage rights with respect to both cable programming (i.e. program access rights) and broadcast television programming (i.e. retransmission consent rights). As we previously reported, the FCC proposes doing so to facilitate the availability of cable and broadcast television programming to OTT providers and enhance consumer
Three Trends that May Change the Way You Think About the “Internet of Things” – Lessons from the Winnik Forum
New charging technology and more sophisticated power use are among the major new trends remaking the face of the Internet of Things, according to Aryeh Fishman, Associate General Counsel of Edison Electric Institute. Fishman’s remarks came as leading experts in telecommunications law and policy and industry executives gathered at the Hogan Lovells 2014 Winnik International Telecomms and Internet Forum in Washington, D.C. During a panel moderated by Hogan Lovells partner Peter Watts (London) and counsel Praveen Goyal (Washington D.C.), business executives at the forefront of the “Internet of Things” highlighted
U.S. FCC Chairman Proposes to Extend Video Programming Rights to Over-the-Top Video Providers
On October 28, 2014, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) Chairman Tom Wheeler announced that he is proposing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to give over-the-top (“OTT”) video providers certain legacy negotiating and carriage rights with respect to cable programming (i.e. program access rights) and broadcast television programming (i.e. retransmission consent rights). Chairman Wheeler explained that such regulations are necessary to ensure the availability of cable and broadcast television programming to OTT video providers. By adopting these proposed regulations, the Chairman seeks to enhance consumer choice and competition in
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Grants Waiver of TCPA Fax Opt-Out Notice Requirements to 24 Petitioners
On 30 October the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted relief to 24 petitioners regarding certain Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules applicable to fax advertisements. Specifically, the Order gives the petitioners a limited, retroactive waiver of the FCC’s opt-out notice requirements for fax advertisements that were sent with the “prior express invitation or permission” of the recipient but that did not comply with the FCC’s opt-out notice requirements. As background, the FCC generally requires that the senders of fax advertisements include an express opt-out notice with each fax. However, there