PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 14-992 July 11, 2014 THE INTERNATIONAL BUREAU ANNOUNCES OPERATIONAL DATE FOR NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION TRACKING AND DATA RELAY SATELLITE SYSTEM EARTH STATION IN BLOSSOM POINT, MARYLAND Report No. SPB-258 The International Bureau announces that effective September 8, 2014, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) earth station operating in the 14.0-14.2 GHz band at Blossom Point, MD (coordinates 38°25’44’’ North and 77°05’02’’ West) will become fully operational. The terrain height of the Blossom Point earth station site is approximately mean sea level. Sections 25.222(c), 25.226(c), and 25.227(c) of the Commission's rules require all Earth Stations on Vessels (ESV), Vehicle-Mounted Earth Stations (VMES), and Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft (ESAA) to cease operations in the 14.0-14.2 GHz band within 125 km (in the case of ESV and VMES) or radio line-of-sight (in the case of ESAA) of the new TDRSS site until after the operator completes coordination for the new TDRSS site. 1 1 47 C.F.R. §§ 25.222(c), 25.226(c), and 25.227(c); Procedures to Govern the Use of Satellite Earth Stations on Board Vessels in the 5925-6425 MHz/3700-4200 MHz Bands and 14.0-14.5 GHz/11.7-12.2 GHz Bands, IB Docket No. 02-10, Report and Order, 20 FCC Rcd 674, 718-19, ¶ 89-92 (2005) (ESV Order); Amendment to Parts 2 and 25 of the Commission’s Rules to Allocate Spectrum and Adopt Service Rules and Procedures to Govern the Use of Vehicle-Mounted Earth Stations in Certain Frequency Bands Allocated to the Fixed-Satellite Service, IB Docket No. 07-101, Report and Order, 24 FCC Rcd 10414, 10425-28, ¶ 35-43 (2009) (VMES Order); and Revision of Parts 2 and 25 of the Commission’s Rules to Govern the Use of Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft Communicating with Fixed- Satellite Service Geostationary-Orbit Space Stations Operating in the 10.95-11.2 GHz, 11.45-11.7 GHz, 11.7-12.2 GHz and 14.0-14.5 GHz Frequency Bands, IB Docket No. 12-376, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Report and Order, 27 FCC Rcd 16510, 16522-54, ¶ 25-29 (2012) (ESAA Order). See also Federal Communications Commission Public Notice, International Bureau Announces New TDRSS Earth Station Site, Report No. SPB-221 (rel. Sept. 25, 2007). Unless the operator has completed a coordination agreement with NASA for operations within 125 km (in the case of ESV and VMES) or radio line-of-sight (in the case of ESAA) of the Blossom Point facility, such operations must cease no later than September 7, 2014, until such time as the operator completes a coordination agreement with NASA permitting the operations. Questions regarding this public notice should be directed to Paul Blais, Chief, Systems Analysis Branch, at (202) 418-7274 or Paul.Blais@fcc.gov. -FCC-