is a picture of a Tiros satellite on the wall back of you. Tiros II has been in operation for 5 months. Mr. KARTH. On the basis of a $400 million cost estimate, would it be your opinion that this kind of communication system would need to be subsidized by the Government, or do you think private industry can handle the problem of financing the system by themselves? Dr. ENGSTROM. I am also going to deal somewhat with that later in my testimony. I think the answer has to go to whether or not one is going to start the communication satellite system on a basis of commercial economics or whether there are other reasons which are also important, whether we need it before we have the traffic load. Mr. BELL. Mr. Chairman, I want to ask one question. Dr. Engstrom, I assume that the satellites in your proposed system would not be affected adversely by the so-called Van Allen radiation belt at the equator area ? Dr. ENGSTROM. This also is a matter on which we have insufficient information. The satellites that would be of the order of a few thousand miles above the Earth would be passing through the Van Allen belt. Whether the radiation damage will be destructive or not is a matter on which information is now being obtained. I don't know how to get really sufficiently good information except to fly satellites at that altitude and make tests. There is a certain amount of simulation that can be done which will help. There is a difference of opinion whether the time needed for radio signals to travel from one ground station to the synchronous satellite and to another ground station, which is about 0.3 second, will be objectionable to telephone subscribers. This time interval is of no significance for television, record, or other nonvoice service. With respect to telephone service, we do not believe that this matter of time delay and the related matter of echo suppression will present a serious practical problem. RCA set forth in further detail its specifications for this proposed satellite system in comments filed March 1, 1961, with the Federal Communications Commission. These comments on administrative and regulatory problems filed May 1, 1961, include other pertinent views of RCA which may be of interest, and I offer copies to this committee. I respectfully request that these comments be incorporated in the record as supplements to my statement. I think, Mr. Chairman, you have copies of this. BEFORE THE federal Communications Commission WASHINGTON 25, D. C. IN THE MATTER of Docket No. 13522 AN INQUIRY INTO THE ALLOCATION OF COMMUNICATIONS. COMMENTS OF RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA AND RCA COMMUNICATIONS, INC. ROBERT L. WERNER, Attorneys for Radio Corporation of America. HOWARD R. HAWKINS, Aitorney for RCA Communications, Inc. March 1, 1961 CONTENTS 1—The nature and extent of experiments which have been conducted or are now in progress involving utilization 2—What segments of the radio spectrum are required for the various space communications functions to be performed, e.g., earth-space-earth, space-space, tele- metry, tracking, guidance, command, etc.? How much spectrum space is required for each such function? At what point in time will access to these bands be required for each such function? Does each function require the same degree of protection from interfer- ence? .................. 3—Under what conditions can frequency bands for space communications be shared with other services: (a) in the case of passive relays? (b) in the case of active 4—Do non-Government entities plan to launch either active or passive communication satellites?.................. -- PAGE PAGE 5—If non-Government entities have no plans for launch- 6—Should there be separate or shared frequency alloca- 7—Will the receiving sites for space communications 8—The purposes to be served by space communications 9–Assuming, at least initially, (1) that existing surface communications must continue to function, and (2) that geographical separation is the key to successful sharing of frequency bands, it appears that earth terminals should be located in sparsely settled areas, - away from concentrations of communication installations. Therefore, should the Commission, on the basis of criteria developed pursuant to the new issue three, give consideration to amending its Rules at an early date to establish protected geographical areas to be held in reserve for the installation of future earth terminals for civil communication systems via space relays? If such a concept were adopted, it might be advisable to prohibit, for example, the use of certain frequency bands between 1215 me and 10,000 mc within “X” miles of a given site for all uses other than space communication. Comments are requested on geographical areas which might be appropriate for such a protected reserve status and the frequency limits between which it would be applied.................................. 13 Cosciusion ... 14 |