Opinion ID: 185545
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Order under Review is Final.

Text: 18 Before turning to the merits of Teledesic's challenges, we consider whether the Report and Order are final and reviewable by this court. This court has jurisdiction to review final orders of the FCC made reviewable under 47 U.S.C. 402(a). 28 U.S.C. 2342(1) (1994). Section 402(a) governs proceedings to set aside or annul FCC orders except those specifically listed as being appealable under 402(b), relating to particular applications. Teledesic's petition falls under 402(a), and is therefore reviewable. 19 Teledesic was within its rights to seek review in this court without first petitioning for reconsideration by the FCC. See 47 U.S.C. 405(a) (1994) (providing that the filing of a petition for reconsideration shall not be a condition precedent to judicial review of an FCC order unless the party seeking review was not a party to the initial proceedings or relies on questions of law or fact on which the Commission has not had an opportunity to pass). Teledesic was a party to the initial proceeding before the Commission, and the Commission addressed Teledesic's arguments regarding the relocation rules. Therefore, Teledesic had standing to seek judicial review of the Report and Order. 20 The fact that parties other than Teledesic petitioned the FCC for reconsideration of the Report and Order does not deprive the court of jurisdiction over Teledesic's petition. See Wrather-Alvarez Broad., Inc. v. FCC, 248 F.2d 646, 649 (D.C. Cir. 1957) (noting that because parties to FCC proceedings have their choice whether to seek relief from Commission action from the Commission itself or from the court ... it may happen ... that one party will choose one tribunal and another party the other). In such cases, we often hold a petition for review in abeyance pending the FCC's further proceedings, see id., but this practice is not an iron-clad rule, see, e.g., MCI Telecomms. Corp. v. FCC, 143 F.3d 606, 608 (D.C. Cir. 1998) (determining that prudential considerations militated in favor of resolving the petitions for review even though parties other than the petitioners had filed petitions for reconsideration before the FCC). It is likewise true that it does not matter whether petitions are filed to challenge portions of the Reconsideration Order. Any such challenges do not bear on our resolution of Teledesic's challenges to the disputed Report and Order, because the Reconsideration Order is not subject to review in this case. What is important here is that the Report and Order were final and appealable as to Teledesic. 21 The court decided not to hold in abeyance Teledesic's petition for review of the Report and Order, even though other parties had petitioned the Commission for reconsideration. And our jurisdiction over Teledesic's petition was not lost when the Commission elected to issue its Reconsideration Order mere days before oral argument. The FCC claims that, under Central Florida Enterprises, Inc. v. FCC, 598 F.2d 37, 48 n.51 (D.C. Cir. 1978), the agency had authority to address sua sponte in its Reconsideration Order several of the issues that were pending before this court. In other words, the FCC contends that it had the discretion to reconsider certain of the issues raised by Teledesic and then issue a Reconsideration Order even though Teledesic had not filed a petition for reconsideration and had opted instead to seek judicial review. We need not decide this question. 22 Notwithstanding the Reconsideration Order, the Commission's Report and Order of June 22, 2000, are the only matters under review in this proceeding. Thus, in addressing Teledesic's claims, we rely only on the agency's positions set forth in the Report and Order, not on the Commission's subsequent elaborations in the Reconsideration Order. We note, however, that, apart from the FCC's decision to accede to Teledesic's demands on two issues, the Reconsideration Order merely expands upon the rationales for the relocation rules contained in the original Report and Order. 23 Although this petition for review involves only the June 22, 2000 Report and Order, we cannot ignore the fact that two of Teledesic's challenges have evaporated in light of the Commission's change of policy as expressed in its Reconsideration Order. See Reconsideration Order at 12-14 pp 23-25 (making terrestrial stations in the 19.26-19.3 GHz subset of the band subject to the sunset date), 16-20 pp 32-41 (making low-power terrestrial stations in the 18 GHz band subject to the relocation rules). At oral argument, the Commission gave official notice to the court via the Reconsideration Order that the rules regarding (1) the 19.26-19.3 GHz subset of the band and (2) low-power terrestrial stations were no longer in effect. Counsel for Teledesic assured the court that the Reconsideration Order had fully addressed Teledesic's concerns on these matters. Neither side sought to pursue the issues. It is therefore clear that the issues concerning low-power stations and the 19.26-19.3 GHz subset are moot. Accordingly, we turn to Teledesic's remaining challenges. 24