§  25.121   License term and renewals.

   (a) License Term. (1) Except for licenses for DBS space stations, SDARS
   space stations and terrestrial repeaters, and 17/24 GHz BSS space
   stations licensed as broadcast facilities, licenses for facilities
   governed by this part will be issued for a period of 15 years.

   (2) Licenses for DBS space stations and 17/24 GHz BSS space stations
   licensed as broadcast facilities, and for SDARS space stations and
   terrestrial repeaters, will be issued for a period of 8 years. Licenses
   for DBS space stations not licensed as broadcast facilities will be
   issued for a period of 10 years.

   (b) The Commission reserves the right to grant or renew station
   licenses for less than 15 years if, in its judgment, the public
   interest, convenience and necessity will be served by such action.

   (c) For earth stations, the license term will be specified in the
   instrument of authorization.

   (d) Space stations. (1) For geostationary satellite orbit satellites,
   the license term will begin at 3 a.m. EST on the date the licensee
   certifies to the Commission that the satellite has been successfully
   placed into orbit and that the operations of the satellite fully
   conform to the terms and conditions of the space station radio
   authorization.

   (2) For non-geostationary satellite orbit satellites, the license term
   will begin at 3 a.m. EST on the date that the licensee certifies to the
   Commission that its initial space station has been successfully placed
   into orbit and that the operations of that satellite fully conform to
   the terms and conditions of the space station system authorization. All
   space stations launched and brought into service during the 15-year
   license term shall operate pursuant to the system authorization, and
   the operating authority for all space stations will terminate upon the
   expiration of the system license.

   (e) Renewal of licenses. Applications for renewals of earth station
   licenses must be submitted on FCC Form 312R no earlier than 90 days,
   and no later than 30 days, before the expiration date of the license.
   Applications for space station system replacement authorization for
   non-geostationary orbit satellites shall be filed no earlier than 90
   days, and no later than 30 days, prior to the end of the twelfth year
   of the existing license term.

   [ 56 FR 24016 , May 28, 1991, as amended at  58 FR 68059 , Dec. 23, 1993;
    59 FR 53327 , Oct. 21, 1994. Redesignated and amended at  62 FR 5928 ,
   5929, Feb. 10, 1997;  65 FR 59142 , Oct. 4, 2000;  67 FR 12485 , Mar. 19,
   2002;  67 FR 51113 , Aug. 7, 2002;  68 FR 51503 , Aug. 27, 2003;  68 FR 63999 , Nov. 12, 2003;  72 FR 50027 , Aug. 29, 2007;  75 FR 45067 , Aug. 2,
   2010]