FCC Modernizes Satellite Broadband Spectrum Rules - G/TBT/N/USA/2217/Add.1

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Overview

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted a final rule to modernize the spectrum sharing framework for Geostationary Orbit (GSO) and Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite systems. This significant update replaces outdated technical limits, aiming to unlock faster space-based broadband services and enhance competition for American households and businesses.

Key Details

Country / Notifying Member: United States of America
Document Symbol: G/TBT/N/USA/2217/Add.1
Notification Date: 2026-05-18
Comment Deadline: Not specified. (This is a final rule, not a proposal.)
Expected Entry into Force: July 13, 2026, except for amendments to §§ 25.146(a)(3) and 25.289(a)(2), which are indefinitely delayed.
Objective: Modernizing spectrum sharing for satellite broadband; enabling faster space-based NGSO satellite broadband; promoting more efficient and effective use of shared spectrum; supporting a more competitive market for satellite broadband and other in-demand services; bridging the digital divide, especially in rural and remote areas.

What Is Being Regulated

This regulation covers the spectrum sharing framework for Geostationary Orbit (GSO) and Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite systems providing broadband services. It specifically addresses operations in the 10.7–12.7 GHz, 17.3–18.6 GHz, and 19.7–20.2 GHz bands where Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) downlink limits previously applied. The rule refers to 47 CFR Part 25 and ITU Regulations Article 22, Section II. HS codes are not specified.

Key Requirements & Technical Changes

The legacy Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) framework, developed in the late-1990s, is replaced with modern, performance-based GSO protection criteria.
The FCC extends its framework for good-faith coordination, allowing NGSO and GSO operators to bargain for appropriate interference protections through voluntary, private agreements.
New technical backstops are adopted to protect GSO systems when coordination has not been reached:
- A long-term protection criterion of 3% time-weighted average throughput degradation for GSO satellite links using Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM).
- A short-term protection criterion of 0.1% absolute increase in link unavailability.
- A supplemental protection criterion of ≥ −10.5 dB interference-to-noise (I/N) for 80% of the time for GSO satellite links that do not use ACM (e.g., point-to-multipoint video transmissions).
- A supplemental protection requirement for NGSO systems to observe a minimum 3-degree avoidance angle of the GSO arc.
NGSO satellite system applicants now have an alternative to certifying compliance with EPFD limits; they can instead demonstrate compliance with these new GSO satellite network protection criteria in the affected bands.

Link to notification and links to relevant documents can be found here: G/TBT/N/USA/2217/Add.1