亚马逊在寻求向地球上没有服务和服务不足的地区提供互联网服务的过程中，扫清了一个主要的监管障碍。美国联邦通信委员会（U.S.FederalCommunicationsCommission）在具备一定条件的情况下批准了亚马逊的柯伊伯计划（Kuiper Project），这是一个耗资100亿美元、由3000多颗卫星组成的低轨道星座。FCC在7月30日发布的授权令中称：“我们的结论是，批准柯伊伯的申请将通过授权一个旨在提高消费者、政府和企业高速宽带服务可用性的系统来促进公众利益。”。获得批准的条件是，柯伊伯必须向委员会提交一份最终的轨道碎片缓减计划。联邦通信委员会要求申请空间站授权的申请人提交一份设计和运行策略的说明，说明他们将用来减轻轨道碎片，包括一份声明，详细说明空间站在运行寿命结束时的任务后处置计划。柯伊伯已经向监管机构提交了一份初步计划，要求卫星在完成任务后不超过355天内脱离轨道，这比美国宇航局制定的25年标准要短。然而，在最终的星座设计完成之前，最终的计划是不可用的。“由于柯伊伯卫星的设计尚未完成，而且柯伊伯因此没有提供有关碎片缓减计划某些必要要素的具体信息，我们将柯伊伯申请的批准条件定为柯伊伯提出申请和委员会批准，联邦通信委员会在命令中写道：“对这项授权的修改是为了审查最终的轨道碎片缓减计划。”。
原文：Amazon has cleared a major regulatory hurdle in its quest to deliver Internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the earth.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved, with some conditions, Amazon's Kuiper Project, a US$10 billion low-orbit constellation made up of more than 3,000 satellites.
"We conclude that grant of Kuiper's application would advance the public interest by authorizing a system designed to increase the availability of high-speed broadband service to consumers, government, and businesses," the FCC stated in an authorization order issued July 30.
That approval came on the condition that Kuiper submit a final orbital debris mitigation plan with the commission.
The FCC requires applicants for a space station authorization to submit a description of the design and operational strategies that they will use to mitigate orbital debris, including a statement detailing post-mission disposal plans for space stations at the end of their operating life.
Kuiper has submitted a preliminary plan to the regulators that calls for deorbiting satellites in no more than 355 days following completion of their mission, a shorter time frame than the 25-year standard established by NASA.
A final plan, however, won't be available until the final constellation design is completed.
"Because the design of Kuiper's satellites is not completed, and because Kuiper consequently did not present specific information concerning some required elements of a debris mitigation plan, we condition our grant of the Kuiper application on Kuiper presenting, and the Commission granting, a modification of this authorization to provide for review of the final orbital debris mitigation plan," the FCC wrote in its order.
