Tag: FCC
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FCC Dismisses SpaceX Spectrum Bids as D2D Market Consolidates
Why Did the FCC Block SpaceX’s Satellite Spectrum Challenge? The Federal Communications Commission has dismissed challenges by SpaceX and other companies seeking access to Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum, effectively protecting incumbent operators’ rights to frequencies increasingly valuable for Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity. The FCC ruling comes as the D2D market rapidly consolidates, with spectrum rights…
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FCC clears Amazon Leo to boost satellite broadband coverage and cover polar regions
An artist’s conception shows how additional Amazon Leo satellites would provide coverage in Earth’s polar regions. (Amazon Illustration) Amazon has won the Federal Communications Commission’s approval to go ahead with its plan to launch thousands of second-generation Amazon Leo satellites for its broadband internet network, even though the first-generation constellation is far from complete. The…
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SpaceX seeks go-ahead from the FCC to put up to a million data center satellites in orbit
This time-lapse image of Venus and the Pleiades shows the tracks of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The image received an award in the 2021 IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest. (Torsten Hansen / IAU OAE / Creative Commons Attribution) SpaceX founder Elon Musk wasn’t kidding about his plans to go big with orbital data centers: The company is…
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Amazon asks FCC for 2-year extension in Leo satellite deployment deadline, citing a rocket shortage
An Atlas 5 rocket rises from its Florida launch pad in December to send 27 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit. (United Launch Alliance Photo) Amazon says it’s been harder than expected to secure rides for its Amazon Leo broadband internet satellites, and now it’s asking the Federal Communications Commission for more time. The request for…
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U.S. FCC Approves Expansion of SpaceX’s Second-Generation Starlink Network
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, a move that expands regulatory clearance for the company’s low-Earth-orbit broadband network as it seeks to enhance global internet coverage. The decision brings the total number of authorized Gen2 Starlink satellites to 15,000, roughly half of the…
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Industry Groups Press FCC to Ease Spectrum Limits on LEO Satellites
Eleven industry organizations are urging the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to revise restrictions on signal strength for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, saying rules imposed more than 20 years ago are outdated and holding back growth in the sector. In a letter sent Monday to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, the groups said that lifting equivalent…
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FCC plans to set up a new framework for connecting satellites with smartphones
Lynk Global has demonstrated its satellite-to-smartphone network in Mongolia. (Lynk Global Illustration) The Federal Communications Commission plans to set up a new regulatory framework to facilitate hookups between satellite operators and wireless companies, with the objective of connecting smartphone users in remote or underserved areas of the world. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, adopted today,…
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Amazon’s Kuiper satellites are good to go after FCC’s approval of orbital debris plan
Artwork shows ULA’s Vulcan rocket lifting off with Amazon’s Kuiper satellites. (Amazon Illustration) The Federal Communications Commission says Amazon’s 3,236-satellite Project Kuiper constellation is fully cleared for deployment after the company filed an acceptable plan for dealing with the risks of orbital debris. This week’s order follows up on the conditional approval that the FCC…
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SpaceX’s falling Starlink satellites highlight concerns about the future of orbital traffic
A rocket’s-eye view shows a stack of SpaceX Starlink satellites just before orbital deployment. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX says that most of the satellites it launched last week for its Starlink broadband internet constellation are doomed to fall from orbit due to a solar storm. Based on the company’s analysis, as many as 40 of the…
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Astra Space joins broadband internet race with proposal to launch 13,000 satellites
Members of Astra Space’s team prepare a rocket for a launch attempt in Alaska. (Astra Space Photo) Make room for yet another competitor in the market to provide broadband internet access from low Earth orbit: Astra Space, the venture that went public with a helping hand from Seattle-area telecom pioneer Craig McCaw, is asking the…