Latest Regulatory Spat Facing Starlink: Too Many Satellites, Say Rivals
SpaceX rivals are asking the FCC to rein in the satellite internet company's plan for a second-gen Starlink network over concerns the proposed 30,000 satellite network will crowd them out.
On Tuesday, providers including Amazon’s Kuiper Systems, OneWeb, and Viasat urged the FCC to impose conditions on SpaceX’s plan before it receives approval.
“To prevent SpaceX’s Gen2 System from blocking competition from the Kuiper System and other NGSOs (non-geostationary satellite systems), there are serious challenges that the commission must address,” Amazon wrote in its filing to the FCC.
The resistance comes after SpaceX revised its original plan for the network with the goal of launching the first second-gen Starlink satellites as soon as next month. The system promises to upgrade broadband speeds and coverage of the existing Starlink network through nearly 30,000 satellites in orbit.
However, Amazon is concerned the second-gen network will one day interfere with the company’s own upcoming satellite internet constellation, Project Kuiper, which aims to eventually reach over 10,000 satellites. Amazon points out at least some of the satellites from both networks will operate in the same orbits.
As a result, the company is urging the FCC to require the second-gen Starlink proposal to reposition several hundred satellites into a lower orbit. It’s also demanding SpaceX share information with other companies on “which (Starlink) satellite is transmitting to which earth station” to help cut down on radio interference.
“Ultimately, consumers bear the costs of this inefficiency by paying higher prices for lower quality service. It is thus essential that NGSO systems share operational information to coexist and mutually act to
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