FCC fines space startup $900,000 after unsanctioned satellite launch

[Cal Jeffrey]

What just happened? When it comes to communications within the United States, nothing happens without FCC approval. When satellite-broadband startup Swarm Technologies launched four small satellites after being told not to, the commission issued a fine and other sanctions.

The Federal Communications Commission issued an edict against space startup Swarm Technologies ordering it to fork over $900,000 for launching four small satellites back in January without authorization. The company will also have to operate under the strict supervision of the FCC for the next few years. The settlement comes after a nearly year-long investigation.

"The size of the penalty imposed is probably not significant enough to deter future behavior, but the negative press coverage is likely to prevent this company and others from attempting to do this again," said FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly in a statement.

Back in 2017, Swarm had applied for permission to launch the “Spacebees” satellites but was denied. Space noted that the company went ahead with the deployment anyway. When confronted about it, the company admitted to sending the orbiters up, and the FCC launched an investigation.

It found that in addition to the unsanctioned launch, Swarm had violated several other FCC regulations including unauthorized weather balloon-to-ground station tests and trials of satellite and ground station equipment.

Swarm has plans of placing nearly 100 small satellites into orbit to provide internet coverage to connected devices. To continue with this project, it has agreed to pay the fine. It will also be required to supply extra documentation to the commission whenever it prepares to send up future satellites for the next five years.

In exchange, the FCC issued a permit effective from July 2018 to February 2019 to Swarm to operate its Spacebees satellites. It also allowed three more to go up a couple of weeks ago on December 3. If all goes as planned, and Swarm toes the line with the FCC, it could launch several more in 2019.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/77979-fcc-fines-space-startup-900000-after-unsanctioned-satellite.html

 

[Uncle Al]

The real question is "WHY" did the FCC denied this project? What about it created issues? Was the FCC protecting other satellite companies that were worried about being undercut? And of course, does this technology provide something along the lines of net neutrality that could be out of the FCC's control?

 

[OutlawCecil]

It's oddly disturbing knowing people (or things) need permission to leave Earth.

 

[ShObiT]

The real question is "WHY" did the FCC denied this project? What about it created issues? Was the FCC protecting other satellite companies that were worried about being undercut? And of course, does this technology provide something along the lines of net neutrality that could be out of the FCC's control?

Imagine there are some stealth satellites in certain height, collecting "X" amount of information for a top secret project, and they are launching one, too close to be ignored, so they denied it, now they found out something, BUT they HAVE to give the sanctions, so they agreed to be an small amount, and the FCC gets to oversee the flow of information inside the star up to prevent details to be leaked... OMG I'm a conspiracy theorist now, gotta get off those documentaries. Lol.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

I suspect penalty is probably less than cost of compliance.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

The real question is "WHY" did the FCC denied this project? What about it created issues? Was the FCC protecting other satellite companies that were worried about being undercut? And of course, does this technology provide something along the lines of net neutrality that could be out of the FCC's control?

Why do planning permits and building permits get denied? Typically there isn’t enough information and whoever applied for them needs to work with the government to make sure everything is in order. Why do you think there are any regulations whatsoever?

 

[p51d007]

You can't just have anyone willie nillie launching stuff into space. If the orbit is not planned, it could hamper other satellites already in orbit. Granted these were low Earth orbit but there are "maps" of parking positions for most satellites. Just look up space junk and look at all the crap already in orbit.

 

[wiyosaya]

The real question is "WHY" did the FCC denied this project? What about it created issues? Was the FCC protecting other satellite companies that were worried about being undercut? And of course, does this technology provide something along the lines of net neutrality that could be out of the FCC's control?

Looking at the diagram, perhaps the VHF frequencies have the potential to interfere with other, licensed VHF users - e.g., fire, ambulance, police, military, ham radio, etc...

 

[Mister_K]

It's oddly disturbing knowing people (or things) need permission to leave Earth.

It is but there are real concerning reasons that this is done. If anyone could launch into Exosphere, it could cause so many problems all around.

 

[captaincranky]

It's oddly disturbing knowing people (or things) need permission to leave Earth.

In analogy, it's oddly disturbing that they won't let us drive whichever way we feel like on the freeways. Or for that matter, simply park your car in traffic, and then just walk away.

 

[toooooot]

Mark my words, they sent an evolutionary organism created in labs to search for livable planets. And when that organism develops enough, it will come back to take us there, beyond galaxies and stars. It is gonna kill us though, I mean why share the universe with less advanced life forms, am I right?

 

[captaincranky]

Mark my words, they sent an evolutionary organism created in labs to search for livable planets. And when that organism develops enough, it will come back to take us there, beyond galaxies and stars. It is gonna kill us though, I mean why share the universe with less advanced life forms, am I right?

Well, that's not much of a stretch, considering what we've already done to this planet.

1: We hunted animals for food.
2. The most useful we now grow specifically slaughter
3. We radically genetically modify certain species for companionship and certain specific tasks.

OK, I'm talking about the wolf here. Taxonomists still consider the dog a subspecies of the gray wolf, Canis lupis. So, Fido is really "Canis lupis familiaris". IMO, turning a creature as elegant as a wolf into a "pug", is unconscionable. I'm sure you can come up with examples.

4. We don't consider species "critically endangered", until their number drop into mere thousands or even hundreds,. Yet there are 7 billion of us.

Animal righs activists are crazies, pure and simple. This year they picketed live nativity scenes.as "mistreatment", in spite of the fact all of the animals used, are domesticated species. Most of them cause all this "proogress", from the comfort of their home, while true animal protedtors are walking around the wilds of Africa, protercting species such as thinos, from being likked fot their horms. Which some Chinese granny wants to grind up foe "medicine". Maybe somebody should sen her a "junior alchemist kit", so she can send her last days doing something "constructive, by turning lead into gold.

The CITES agreements are doing harm as well as good. The Philadelphia Zoo, now has as it's lead in exhibit, the common turkey. Because of the CITES accord, Zoos cabn't go out and capture that polar bear you see floating on a chunck of ice while starving to death. That eould be cruel, to bring it back, fatten it up, and display it for people's enjoyment, saving the species from extnction notwithstanding.

OK rant complete.

My original point here was, (although I couldn't find the attribution), one notable, (sci-fi writer ?), supposedly said, "if an advanced race comes to earth saying they only want to serve us, we should havwe the good sense to ask, 'baked or fried'"!

This concept vwas integrated into the TV series "V" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086822/ (1984-1985)

There are orher iterations of the show, one a later series, the other a mini series.

 

[OutlawCecil]

In analogy, it's oddly disturbing that they won't let us drive whichever way we feel like on the freeways. Or for that matter, simply park your car in traffic, and then just walk away.

Terrible example. Roads are owned. Space is not.

I understand the risks of damaging somebody else's investment but still disturbing knowing I can't freely leave Earth if I wanted to and had the ability.