Stations Have Until Oct. 17 to Meet FCC’s C-Band Registration Call

- Costly Process Offset by SES Reimbursement

The FCC has called on Radio and TV stations to register their current unregistered C-band earth stations by October 17 or risk losing interference protection from new 5-G broadband services that will be sharing the band. This costly process includes certifying that any registrations made prior to April 19, 2018, are accurate. SES, a satellite company that wants to use the C-Band for 5G, is offering to reimburse stations for their registration costs, but there are important limitations.

Reimbursement by SES may be available to U.S. C-band earth station operators that submit new registrations for C-band antennas operating in the contiguous United States (i.e., cable systems, radio broadcasters, television broadcasters, DTH providers, video programmers, MVPDs, etc.; not in Hawaii and Alaska), subject to the following conditions:

• proof of submission of the FCC registration fee must be submitted to FCCregistration@ses.com by October 31, 2018;
• only new registrations submitted between July 25, 2018 and October 17, 2018 are eligible for reimbursement;
• reimbursement is limited to the registration fee of $435 per Earth Station; and
• reimbursement is subject to the availability of appropriate funds by SES. No other charges or costs will be reimbursed by SES.  Operators' eligibility is not dependent on the size of their operations, but their stated goal is to assist those for whom the cost of the fee is a barrier to registration.  

To be considered eligible for reimbursement stations should attach and send their confirmation of payment from the FCC to FCCregistration@ses.com.

Once received, the request will be checked to determine eligibility status.  If eligible, it will be reimbursed.  SES is currently working on the method of reimbursement and will keep applicants updated.  Please note that SES may request a W-9 from your company in order to process the reimbursement. SES will notify a station if it is not eligible for reimbursement for any reason.

Operators with, or entities serving, large numbers of earth stations at geographically diverse sites (more than 25 sites) should contact FCCregistration@ses.com to discuss a method for doing so using a batch filing approach.

SES Resources

• Email SES anytime with any questions: FCCregistration@ses.com
• Website with instructions and forms: https://www.ses.com/fcc-registration-or-licensing-c-band-antenna
• Twitter: @SES_NAMP and @SES_Satellites
• Phone line that reaches directly to an SES Regulatory contact for any questions a member may have about registration: 609-987-4300