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 … Continue Reading
Tony Lin
WRC-19 Revamps ITU Radio Regulations to Accommodate Emerging Communications Technologies
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 in connection with Satellite Week 2019. 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 … Continue Reading
A Big Year for Smallsats: Conference Highlights Optimism and Diversity in the Growing Industry
Last month, the smallsat community gathered in Silicon Valley for the 2019 Smallsat Symposium. The conference featured leading innovators, experts, and entrepreneurs in the industry who discussed their achievements and the expanding opportunities for funding, launch, and partnerships. Mike Safyan, VP Launch for Planet Labs, gave an inspiring keynote address describing Planet’s victories and challenges in its first … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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.
CSSMA is dedicated to creating a transparent and expedited spectrum coordination process through educational outreach, sharing best practices, and regulatory advocacy. CSSMA formally incorporated a year … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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. … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading