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FCC Fines Swarm $900,000 For Unauthorized Satellite Launch (reuters.com)
Swarm Technologies will pay a $900,000 fine for launching and operating four small experimental communications satellites that risked "satellite collisions" and threatened "critical commercial and government satellite operations," the FCC said on Thursday. "The California-based start-up founded by former Google and Apple engineers in 2016 also agreed to enhanced FCC oversight and a requirement of pre-launch notices to the FCC for three years," reports Reuters. From the report: Swarm launched the satellites in India last January after the FCC rejected its application to deploy and operate them, citing concerns about the company's tracking ability. It said Swarm had unlawfully transmitted signals between earth stations in the state of Georgia and the satellites for over a week. The investigation also found that Swarm performed unauthorized weather balloon-to-ground station tests and other unauthorized equipment tests prior to the satellites' launch. Swarm aims to provide low-cost space-based internet service and plans eventually to use a constellation of 100 satellites.
No, but it *does* unambiguously have jurisdiction over the transmitters the company operated in Georgia.
last time i checked, the fcc didn't own outer space
According to the consent decree any entity launching satellites wishing to serve a U.S. market must adhere to all commission rules. Swarm's satellites becomes subject to US jurisdiction the moment one of their satellites transmits or receives a signal to or from a US destination or source.
Also, as a US company, Swarm is automatically subject to US jurisdiction, and they must adhere to FCC rules and licensing requirements prior to operation of any radio equipment on a ground station or on a satellite in orbit.
The fine isn't for putting satellites in orbit via India after permission from the U.S. was denied. And it's not for operating said satellites after their launch per se. Those factors probably contributed to the FCC being harsh with this company, but they're not the justification for the fine.
The fine is for transmitting on certain frequencies reserved for communications with satellites. Broadcasting on those frequencies requires a license from the FCC, which this company apparently didn't obtain. According to TFA, they've now obtained that license, and are operating the satellites again.
No wonder the FCC is up in arms. A new ISP that is independent from cables down here? That could cut into the profit margins of their masters!
Actually, the problem is that the satellites are smaller than 10cm in one of their dimensions and thus may become untrackable. The US has a duty and authority under the Outer Space Treaty to regulate their citizens to ensure continued access to space for all. Since Swarm Technologies is a US company, it falls under this jurisdiction. India is also a signatory to the treaty and shouldn't have launched this payload if the US didn't approve it.
From the wiki article:
"the activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty" and that States Parties shall bear international responsibility for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities.
What's absolutely retarded is that it's easy to make your tiny satellite larger artificially by inflating it. No additional mechanism, you just put a few grams of benzoic acid in a balloon and it will self inflate when it's in space.
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