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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 19 / Monday, February 1, 2021 / Proposed Rules
to be accounted for in any rule modifications. We recognize, for example, that receiving FSS and BSS
earth stations will have different antenna performance characteristics,61
and unlike 17/24 GHz BSS earth stations, FSS earth stations entitled to protection from DBS feeder link earth stations will not be ubiquitously deployed.
Upgrades and Modifications to Grandfathered DBS Facilities. In the 17/
24 GHz Ground Path Report and Order the Commission grandfathered existing DBS earth station sites and adopted a two-pronged approach to allow existing DBS feeder link operators to modify or add antennas to their networks at these sites. Under that approach, the aggregate PFD resulting from the new or modified operations cannot exceed the PFD
generated by the existing station measured at any point between three and ten meters above the ground. In addition, any new earth station antenna must be located within one kilometer of an existing authorized DBS feeder link earth station antenna. Otherwise, the new or modified earth station is subject to the coordination procedures in 25.203m of our rules, which are discussed below. We propose to retain this grandfathered status for existing DBS feeder link earth stations relative to FSS receiving earth stations, and to apply to FSS the same criteria for permitting DBS operators to modify or add antennas to their existing networks.
We seek comment on these proposals.
Coordination between DBS and FSS
Receiving Earth Stations. The Commissions rules include a coordination methodology to permit licensing of new DBS feeder link earth stations in the 17.317.8 GHz band while protecting co-frequency receiving BSS earth stations in the 17.317.7 GHz band. This rule requires a DBS operator with a new or modified earth station to complete frequency coordination with existing and planned 17/24 GHz BSS
receive earth stations within an established coordination zone around its proposed site using the methodology outlined in Appendix 7 of the ITU
Radio Regulations.62 Section 25.203m 61 17/24 GHz BSS receiving antennas no smaller than 45 cm in diameter are protected from interference only to the extent that they conform to the criteria stated in ITUR Recommendation BO.12131. 47 CFR 25.224a.
62 17/24 GHz Ground Path Report and Order, 32
FCC Rcd at 371011, paragraphs 1517, and 47 CFR
25.203m1. The ITU methodologies are described in section 23 to Annex 5 of Appendix 7 of the ITU
Radio Regulations and define techniques for calculating a coordination area around a transmitting earth station. The methodologies make use of additional parameters defined in Table 9b to Annex 7, which includes the modulation type of
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of our rules contains specific parameter values to be used in determining this coordination zone.63 These parameters however, were adopted based on the characteristics of BSS receiving earth stations, and we do not believe that they are necessarily appropriate to use in calculating the coordination zone relative to receiving FSS earth stations.
Thus, we propose to modify 25.203m1 to include new values for use in coordination of DBS feeder link earth stations relative to FSS earth stations. We seek comment on this conclusion and on whether different parameter values should be included in our rules, and on what these values should be. For example, parameters such as the link performance margin Ms, receiver noise temperature Te and receiving antenna gain parameters Gm, Gr are specific to BSS systems.
In addition, our rules identify certain information that applicants proposing new DBS feeder link earth station must provide to a third-party coordinator to resolve any potential interference issues with affected 17/24 GHz BSS receiving stations prior to licensing. We believe that the same information should also be provided to a third-party coordinator to enable coordination with affected FSS receiving earth stations in the 17.3
17.8 GHz band. Accordingly, we propose to apply 25.203m2 to FSS
with no additional changes to the requested information. We seek comment on this proposal. The requested information is as follows:
The geographical coordinates of the proposed earth station antennas;
Proposed operating frequency bands and emissions;
Antenna diameter meters;
Antenna center height above ground and ground elevation above mean sea level;
Antenna gain patterns in the plane of the main beam;
Longitude range of geostationary satellite orbit GSO satellites at which an antenna may be pointed;
Horizon elevation plot;
Antenna horizon gain plots determined in accordance with the procedure in section 2.1 of Annex 5 to Appendix 7 of the ITU Radio Regulations;
Minimum elevation angle;
the receiving earth station, various receiving earth station interference parameters and criteria, receiving earth station physical characteristics, reference bandwidth and permissible interference power levels.
63 47 CFR 25.203m1. These parameters were adopted in the 17/24 GHz Ground Path Report and Order, 32 FCC Rcd at 371011, paragraphs 1517, as Table 9b of Annex 7 to Appendix 7 did not include all the values necessary to make the required calculations.

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Maximum equivalent isotropically radiated power e.i.r.p. density in the main beam in any one-megahertz band;
Maximum available RF transmit power density in any one-megahertz band at the input terminals of the antennas; and A plot of the coordination distance contours and rain scatter coordination distance contours as determined by Table 2 of section 3 to Appendix 7 of the ITU Radio Regulations.
DBS operators needing to coordinate with 17.317.8 GHz receiving FSS earth station operations must be able to determine those locations at which coordination is required. Receive-only earth stations are generally not required to apply for a license or to be registered with the Commission, although they may do so in accordance with the provisions of 25.115b of our rules, to receive interference protection from terrestrial service in bands shared coequally with the fixed service. We seek comment on how to facilitate coordination with DBS operators and to ensure protection from DBS feeder link earth station ground path interference.
We propose that interference protection will be afforded to individual FSS
receiving earth stations from DBS feeder link transmissions only if they have been licensed with the Commission, and we propose to amend 25.203m3 of our rules to reflect this requirement. We seek comment on these proposals.
We propose, however, to allow blanket licensed FSS earth stations other than earth stations in motion ESIMs on a non-protected basis in the 17.317.8 GHz band and propose to amend 25.115e to reflect this. We seek comment on this proposal. SES
asserts that the 17.317.7 GHz FSS
downlink spectrum is needed to accommodate gateway operations, while other FSS bands would be used for ubiquitously deployed user terminals.
SES further argues that sharing with incumbent services in the 17.317.7
GHz band is feasible in part because such gateway-type FSS earth stations would be fewer in number and more resistant to interference than the widelydispersed consumer terminals. Given the already complex reverse-band sharing situation in the band, we seek comment on whether extending protection to ubiquitously deployed earth stations in yet another service could unduly constrain incumbent users. Commenters should discuss any consequences that may unduly constrain incumbent services as well as any benefits of allowing non-protected blanket licensed earth stations in the 17.317.8 GHz band.

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