At the request of General Dynamics SatCom Technologies, the FCC s...

needs with respect to advanced VMES,” General Dynamics had told the Commission. Proposed rules “seek to promote innovative and flexible use of satellite technologies” while avoiding interference, the FCC said. Currently, land mobile satellite services must protect primary FSS operations in the Ku-band. General Dynamics told the Commission that nonmilitary applications “are likely to follow adoption of regularized licensing procedures.” VMES is “ideally suited” for homeland security and disaster recovery, the company said: “Permitting broader VMES operations, under carefully prescribed conditions, would make the technology available for commercial uses such as satellite news gathering, weather services, mineral/fossil fuel exploration and extraction, and large-scale construction projects.” General Dynamic’s SatCom-on-the-Move (SOTM) consists of a fixed earth station serving as one endpoint of a link and various mobile stations mounted on combat vehicles. The fixed earth station uses a 2.4-meter earth station antenna. The vehicle-mounted antennas can be as small as 17.7”, General Dynamics told the FCC. SOTM has been operating under special temporary authority since Nov. 2004, the FCC said. SOTM was also granted authorization to access Intelsat 707 satellite at 53 degrees W. Comments will be due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and replies 15 days later, the FCC said.