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Submit a comment to the FCC

The US Federal Communications Commission is the main regulatory body for satellites in the US. They make rules about satellites launched and operated by US corporations, and occasionally take comments from the public on certain new rules they make. They do not make it particularly easy to submit comments, so below are step-by-step directions. Please note that any comments you submit are public documents that will be read and possibly quoted by journalists, space lawyers, satellite corporations, and anyone else who is interested, so write your comment with care. You can submit comments even if you do not live in the United States.

The FCC is currently seeking comment on direct-to-cell satellites until 30 May 2024. The first of these, BlueWalker 3, was launched last year and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky. AST SpaceMobile alone plans to launch 400 of these, meaning that even in a light-polluted city, you would always see bright satellites in your night sky anytime they are sunlit. These bright satellites will be devastating for cultural and recreational stargazing and research astronomy alike. You can read the FCC’s official statement here.

How to submit your comment:

  1. Go to https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/standard?proceeding[name]=23-65 (opens in new tab)

  2. Take a look at the animation below. In the Proceedings field, there should already be a little box with 23-65 in it. You need to also type 22-271, then select “22-271 Space Innovation” from the drop down menu that appears below. Your Proceedings field should now look like this:

  1. Enter your legal name in the “Name(s) of Filer(s)” field

  2. Enter your email in the “Primary Contact E-Mail” field (this is optional)

  3. Under the “Type of Filing” drop-down menu, select “COMMENT”

  4. Under the “Address of” drop-down menu, select “Filer”

  5. Enter your address (select the “International” check box if your address is outside the US)

  6. Upload your comment by dragging and dropping the file or clicking the “Click or Drop Files Here” box. We recommend writing this as a formal letter in pdf format.

  7. Click the slider to “Yes” if you wish to receive email confirmation of your filing

  8. Check the box to acknowledge that you are filing a document into an official FCC proceeding.

  9. Review and submit

Particularly because your comment will become a public document, we highly encourage you to write your concerns in your own words. But here is a template statement that you can start from:

AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 satellite is the first direct-to-cell satellite in orbit, and due to its extremely large size, is one of the brightest objects in the night sky anytime it is sunlit. In addition to the irreparable harm they could do to radio astronomy, the huge surface areas required by direct-to-cell mean that these satellites will dramatically change the night sky for stargazers and research astronomers worldwide. BlueWalker 3 is so bright that it could actually damage sensitive cameras in research telescopes at its peak brightness, and with hundreds or thousands of such satellites in orbit, our ability to explore outer space through the science of astronomy will be severely limited. I do not want to have multiple incredibly bright satellites moving across my night sky anytime I look up. The brightness of satellites in orbit needs to be regulated and considered in the satellite approval process.