Intelsat filed its C-band spectrum transition plan with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). “Intelsat is filing its comprehensive transition plan after having spent more than two years proactively working with the FCC, our customers, industry stakeholders, vendors and other satellite operators to create a clear path for meeting the FCC’s accelerated clearing deadlines and ensuring the U.S. maintains its leadership in 5G,” said Intelsat Chief Services Officer Mike DeMarco. “With our detailed plan finalized and our supply chain engaged, Intelsat looks forward to supporting the FCC in successfully transitioning the C-band spectrum and accelerating America’s path to 5G – all while safeguarding the high- quality media broadcast services on which more than 100 million American households rely.” Earlier this week, Intelsat announced that it has selected U.S. manufacturers, Maxar Technologies and Northrop Grumman, to design and manufacture satellites required to transition the company’s high-quality media distribution and contribution services – uninterrupted – from the 3.7 to 4.0 gigahertz (GHz) portion of the C-band to the 4.0 to 4.2 GHz portion of the band. Intelsat and other satellite operators participating in the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearing plan are responsible for incurring the upfront costs associated with clearing 300 MHz of the spectrum and moving their existing services to the upper portion of the band. Intelsat estimates these upfront investments will cost the company $1.6 to $1.7 billion.