In response to PRSS communications urging stations to confirm their downlinks are FCC Registered, several stations have raised questions on how exactly they can do this. (Click here for more details.).
Please find the steps below to learn if your C-band downlink antenna is FCC Registered and what else you must do.
- First, you will need to know the Licensee Name or the FCC CallSign # (example E160079) of your FCC Registration. A station typically should have this information on-hand if they’ve had any dealings with the FCC in the past.
- Next, go to the FCC web site and do a quick search for same. http://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/
- If you find a valid FCC registration for your C-band downlink antenna, review all information to ensure it’s correct. Also note the expiration date of the registration so that you’re aware of when you will need to re-register.
- If you don’t find a valid FCC registration for your C-band downlink antenna, you should begin the process as soon as possible. To register a C-band downlink antenna with the FCC, we recommend you contact Comsearch, a company that can manage this process for you. The Comsearch point of contact is Tim Crutcher, who can be reached at 703.726.5665 or at tcrutche@comsearch.com. There is a fee for this service. If you are a PRSS interconnected station, you will receive a discount that lowers your fee to $695. If you are a non-commercial entity but not part of the PRSS, your charge will be $795. A commercial station will also pay $795, plus an additional $435 in FCC filing fees as well.
- There is a technical datasheet that will help in the process of FCC registration of your C-band downlink antenna. Please fill in completely, as it’s crucial to identify what’s going to be required to do the Frequency Coordination and subsequent FCC registration. The form itself is not submitted to the FCC, but it serves as a necessary guide for a station to gather all relevant and required information to complete this process. This datasheet is available for download HERE.
If you would like further assistance determining whether your C-Band downlink dish is already FCC registered, or how to register your dish if it is not, you may also contact the PRSS Help Desk at 800.971.7677 or prsshelp@npr.org.
Ensuring that your downlink is Registered/Licensed with the FCC will help the commission better understand the extent to which C-Band frequencies are being used for satellite transmission/reception of broadcast programming.
The FCC is considering allowing wireless-broadband services to use the C-Band frequency spectrum. This is the same spectrum that PRSS uses to transmit and receive its broadcast programming to interconnected stations. Assigning C-Band frequencies to wireless-broadband services could result in interference to unregistered/unlicensed C-Band satellite downlink dishes.
For example, a joint proposal submitted recently to the FCC by Intel and Intelsat seeks to allow satellite and wireless-broadband services to share C-Band frequencies in designated geographic areas. If the proposal is approved, stations using unregistered/unlicensed dishes in these areas risk losing frequency protection, and their dishes could begin to experience interference from wireless-broadband services.
If you have any further questions or comments, you may also contact the PRSS Help Desk at 800.971.7677 or prsshelp@npr.org.
Posted: May 21, 2018