Ka-band communications satellites have a narrow beamwidth, so a typical design would project an even grid of cells over the service area. For an area with uneven population distribution such as the United States this leads to some cells being underutilized (Montana) while others are unable to handle the demand in their area (New York). By varying the size of the satellite's antennas the size of cells can be matched to the population density of the area served-three tight beams over New York, one wide beam serving Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. The practical implementation of this requires careful attention to the customer needs, frequency allocations, and antenna design.
Full details can be found at the US Patent Office website. Note that the patent is listed under my former name, Karl Dishaw.