FCC Grants Boeing Satellite License for ATC System

Boeing cleared a major hurdle in the development of its recently announced air-traffic management system after the Federal Communications Commission granted the Seattle-based company a mobile satellite service license. The move allows Boeing to build a medium-earth-orbit constellation of non-geosynchronous satellites in the 2-GHz band. This approval is a critical step to support the air-traffic management system’s common information requirement, which calls for integrated flow of communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) data between the satellites, aircraft and ground-control stations.