FCC
Approves Intelsat LLC Application To Operate Global Satellite
System
 The
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the Intelsat
LLC (the privatized Intelsat's licensed company) application to own
and operate a C- and Ku-band global satellite system providing
services to, from, and within the United States.
This
application to the FCC was filed to permit Intelsat LLC to operate
the global satellite system it will acquire from  Intelsat,
as a U.S. licensee. The application sought U.S. licenses for 17
in-orbit satellites, 10 replacement satellites and 13 orbital
redeployments. Some satellites will be decommissioned leaving a
total of 22 satellites.
Intelsat’s
plans to remain in the U.S. and become an American firm depends on
three preconditions: 1) the transfer of the orbital slots; 2)
Intelsat being allowed to remain in its current building and; 3) a
waiver of G-4 visa limitations on Intelsat employees. This FCC
ruling completes the first condition.
The U.S. State
Department, which owns the land under Intelsat's headquarters, is
currently negotiating over the second condition. The State
Department must finalize a deal with Intelsat and also waive the
current requirement that only embassies or international
organizations use the location.
The
U.S. Congress must decide the visa question. Without a waiver of the
visa rules about 250 of Intelsat's 650 employees would have to leave
the country once the company privatizes. There is language proposed
for bill H.R. 3767 that will address this concern. Though the
measure is considered noncontroversial the bill faces serious
deadline pressures. The bill has already passed the House of
Representatives but Congress is now on a month-long recess and will
not address the bill again until after it returns to work Sept. 5.
At that point Congress will have less than a month to complete all
its business, including finishing nearly all the appropriations
bills for next year, before the end of this congressional session in
early October. The bill might slip through the cracks in the crush
of end-of-year business.
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