TAMPA, Fla. — The Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted
April 28 to review its satellite spectrum sharing rules, opening a new
front in the power struggle between legacy operators in geosynchronous
orbit (GSO) and non-GSO (NGSO) upstarts.
The agency adopted a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to explore updating Equivalent Power Flux
Density (EPFD) limits, set up more than 30 years ago to regulate how
strong NGSO signals can be to avoid disrupting GSO satellites flying
overhead.
These power limits “hamper satellite broadband by
degrading signal quality, reducing coverage, limiting capacity, and
making it harder to share spectrum with other satellite systems,” FCC
chair Brendan Carr said in a statement.
“Back then, high-speed
satellite broadband was considered the stuff of science fiction and the
ability to share between satellite systems was primitive. Fast forward
to today, and breakthrough advances enable efficient spectrum use and
sharing, making satellite broadband a real competitive option.”
Spectrum battle
NGSO
operators such as SpaceX, which owns the world’s largest constellation
with more than 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, argue that loosening
EPFD rules is critical to unlocking the full potential of new Ka- and
Ku-band services.
SpaceX petitioned the FCC for the review, part of a broader strategy
to improve capacity and lower latency through next-generation
satellites.
However, some GSO players warn that changes could
compromise critical services from their orbital perch 36,000 kilometers
above Earth, including search and rescue, while stifling innovation and
future investments in their part of the industry.
“This looks like a move to hobble competitors rather than a genuine issue to be addressed for the good of the whole industry!”
“The real threat
to long-term innovation and competition comes from companies seeking to
significantly narrow the communications lanes in space that their
competitors use,” said one satellite industry executive via email on
condition of anonymity.
While
GSO satellites have historically formed the backbone of global
communications infrastructure, particularly in underserved and remote
areas, NGSO systems that are better suited for low-latency services have
been gaining momentum in recent years, led by Starlink.
- Only six
commercial GSO communications satellites were ordered in 2024, the
lowest total in two decades and far from the 15–20 orders that used to
be typical annually.
- GSO operators say their systems remain more
efficient for handling demand spikes in high-traffic areas like
airports, even as emerging NGSO players gain momentum to challenge
Starlink’s dominance — including Amazon, which recently deployed the first 27 of more than 3,200 planned Project Kuiper broadband satellites.
Multiple fronts
The FCC’s NPRM follows a separate EPFD waiver request from SpaceX, submitted last year alongside broader proposed modifications for its second-generation Starlink constellation, or Gen2, aimed at upgrading broadband performance.
A
proposal to review EPFD rules was also one of the most divisive issues
up for debate in 2023 during WRC-23, a quadrennial event run by an arm
of the United Nations for updating global spectrum rules.
International regulators ultimately ruled that technical EPFD studies could advance without regulatory consequences, although NGSO and GSO players are divided over whether this leaves the door open to potentially relaxing rules as soon as 2027. Opposing factions are currently skirmishing over the issue in working groups tasked with laying the groundwork for WRC-27.
