Sirius Loses Fee Dispute

The FCC has denied Sirius’ arguments for a satellite licensee fee refund.
The satcaster originally was licensed for a two-satellite geostationary satellite system in 1997. In 2001, the commission modified that license to increase the number of satellites to three so Sirius could launch a three-satellite, non-geostationary orbit system. The agency billed Sirius $286,095 for the difference between what it had already paid and what it owed.
Sirius paid but protested, arguing that it had special circumstances and could also be at a competitive disadvantage to its competitor. Sirius wanted a refund for the additional fee.
The commission disagreed, and stated, “Our fee structure is designed such that all licensees who build a particular type of satellite system pay the same fee.”