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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  March  14,  2002  Maureen  Peratino:  202-  418-  0506 
 FCC  OPENS  PROCEEDING  REGARDING  MITIGATION  OF  ORBITAL  DEBRIS 
 Washington,  DC  –  Today,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  (Commission)  opened  a  new  proceeding  regarding  orbital  debris.  Minimization  of  orbital  debris  will  help 
 maximize  the  usefulness  of  space  for  satellite  communications  and  other  services. 
 Today’s  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  (NPRM)  proposes  to  adopt  a  requirement  that  all  FCC-  licensed  satellite  systems  submit  information  concerning  plans  to  mitigate  orbital  debris. 
 Orbital  debris  consists  of  artificial  objects  orbiting  the  Earth  that  are  not  functional  spacecraft.  Other  U.  S.  agencies  have  addressed  orbital  debris  mitigation  and  generally,  only  the  FCC  is 
 responsible  for  authorizing  nongovernment  satellites.  To  date,  the  Commission  has  addressed  orbital  debris  on  a  case-  by-  case  basis,  requiring  some  satellite  systems  to  provide  information 
 and  reviewing  disposal  measures  of  some  systems.  The  NPRM  seeks  to  address  orbital  debris  in  a  systematic  way.  It  describes  U.  S.  Government  orbital  debris  guidelines  that  today  do  not  apply 
 to  the  satellites  the  FCC  authorizes,  and  seeks  comment  on  applicability  of  those  guidelines. 
 Since  human  activity  in  space  began  decades  ago,  there  has  been  steady  growth  in  the  number  of  artificial  objects  in  orbit  around  the  Earth.  Studies  show  that  continued  increase  in  orbital 
 debris  may  raise  concerns  regarding  the  reliability  and  cost  of  space  activities,  including  satellite  communications.  The  satellites  of  tomorrow  are  being  built  today.  Some  steps,  if  taken  now, 
 can  reduce  the  growth  of  orbital  debris. 
 Action  by  the  Commission  March  14,  2002,  by  Notice  of  Proposed  Rulemaking  (FCC  02-  80).  Chairman  Powell,  Commissioners  Abernathy,  Copps  and  Martin,  with  Commissioner  Copps 
 issuing  a  separate  statement. 
 -FCC- 
 International  Bureau  contact:  Karl  Kensinger  at  202-  418-  0773  or  Linda  Haller  at  202-  418-  1408 
 IB  Docket  02-  54 
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