This page provides information on six applications for consent to assignment of authorizations pertaining to the operation of the IRIDIUM Mobile Satellite Service ("MSS") System from affiliates or wholly-owned subsidiaries of Motorola, Inc. to three affiliated companies: Iridium Constellation LLC, Iridium Satellite LLC, and Iridium Carrier Services LLC (collectively "New Iridium").

Copies of documents in the record may be obtained for a fee from FCC's duplicating contractor Qualex International, or may be viewed and/or copied at the FCC Reference Center.

Completed 2/8/02 - Day 230

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Below is a list of record documents in reverse chronological order.

2/8/02
Memorandum Opinion, Order And Authorization granting the Iridium applications [ Text | Word | Acrobat ]

1/24/02
Supplemental Amendment to Applications filed by Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC

11/27/01
Supplemental Amendment to Applications filed by Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC [ Acrobat | Acrobat ]

11/15/01
Amendment to Applications filed by Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC

10/11/01
By Letter to Applicants from the International Bureau, FCC Requests Additional Information from Iridium Carrier Services LLC and Iridium Satellite LLC: Stops 180-day Clock on Day 166

10/1/01
Amendment to Applications filed by Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC

8/20/01
Petition to Adopt Conditions to Authorizations and Licenses filed by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

6/1/01
Response filed by L/Q Licensee, Inc. and Globalstar, L.P.

5/29/01
Reply to Joint Opposition of L/Q Licensee, Inc. and Globalstar, L.P. filed by Space System License, Inc. (Motorola) and Iridium Constellation LLC

5/17/01
Opposition filed by L/Q Licensee, Inc. and Globalstar, L.P.

Petition to Defer filed by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

4/17/01
Public Notice, Report No. SAT-00070, Satellite Policy Branch Information, Applications Accepted for Filing

4/11/01
Public Notice, Report No. SES-00278, Satellite Communications Services, Re: Satellite Radio Applications Accepted for Filing, Rescinding Public Notice, Report No. SES-00275

4/04/01
Public Notice, Report No. SES-00275, Satellite Communications Services, Re: Satellite Radio Applications Accepted for Filing

03/19/01
Licenses to be assigned to Iridium Constellation LLC:

License to be assigned to Iridium Satellite LLC:

License to be split between Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC:

Joint Application for Assignment of Section 214 Authority filed by Iridium U.S., L.P. (d/b/a Iridium North America) and Iridium Carrier Services LLC

The Commission has received six applications for consent to assignment of authorizations pertaining to the operation of the IRIDIUM Mobile Satellite Service ("MSS") System from affiliates or wholly-owned subsidiaries of Motorola, Inc. to three affiliated companies: Iridium Constellation LLC, Iridium Satellite LLC, and Iridium Carrier Services LLC (collectively "New Iridium").

The licenses to be assigned to Iridium Constellation LLC are:

The license to be assigned to Iridium Satellite LLC is:

One license is proposed to be split between Iridium Satellite LLC and Iridium Carrier Services LLC:

Specifically, New Iridium proposes to assign an authorization for 50,000 handsets to Iridium Satellite LLC and an authorization for 150,000 handsets to Iridium Carrier Services LLC. Iridium Satellite LLC would operate 50,000 handset terminals on a non-common carrier basis and Iridium Carrier Services LLC would operate up to 150,000 handset terminals on a common carrier basis. According to the application, Iridium Carrier Services LLC is the wholly-owned subsidiary of a parent corporation in which foreign corporations incorporated in, and owned by citizens of, countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Australia, Brazil, and Panama) hold a 35.9 percent stock interest and in which a corporation owned by a citizen of a non-WTO-member country (Saudi Arabia) holds a 24.279 percent stock interest. The applicants acknowledge that the indirect foreign ownership of Iridium Carrier Services LLC exceeds the 25 percent benchmark in Section 310(b)(4) of the Communications Act but contend that the foreign ownership should be found permissible. Persons commenting on the foreign ownership of Iridium Carrier Services should reference File Nos. SES-ASG-20010319-00600 and ISP-PDR-20010319-00015.

The application to assign the Space Station license to Iridium Constellation LLC includes "An Assessment of the On-Orbit and Terrestrial Risks from Iridium Spacecraft" recently prepared by NASA for the FCC. This document estimates the risks, including the risk of human casualty, from disposal of the IRIDIUM spacecraft at the end of their service life.

The Space Station application also includes a request by Iridium Satellite for an exemption under Section 25.116(c)(2) of the Commission's Rules to permit Iridium Satellite to assume Iridium LLC's application to construct, launch and operate a Non-Geostationary Mobile Satellite System in the 2 GHz Band without forfeiting processing priority. See FCC File No. 187-SAT-P/LA-97(96), IBS File No. SAT-LOA-1997-0926-00147. In that same application, Iridium Satellite also requests amendment of a pending application for authority to provide Aeronautical Mobile-Satellite Route Service ("AMS(R)S") over the IRIDIUM System, FCC File No. 18-SAT-ML-97, to designate Iridium Satellite as the applicant instead of Motorola Satellite Communications. Iridium Satellite requests that the amendment to the AMS(R)S application be treated as "minor" and therefore as exempt from the public notice requirements in Sections 25.116(b) and 25.151 of the Commission's rules.

The parties have also filed an application to assign Iridium U.S. L.P.'s international Section 214 authorization to Iridium Carrier Services LLC. Persons filing comments on the application to assign the Section 214 international authorization of Iridium U.S., L.P. (d/b/a Iridium North America or INA ) to Iridium Carrier Services should reference File No. ITC-ASG-20010319-00166.

For further information regarding license-assignment applications, contact William Bell, International Bureau Satellite & Radiocommunications Division, at (202) 418-0741; regarding assignment of international 214 authorization, contact Lisa Choi, International Bureau, Telecommunications Division, at (202) 418-1460.