Elon Musk’s Plan to Girdle Earth With Satellites Hits Turbulence

Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to surround the Earth with thousands of internet-beaming satellites is encountering turbulence from regulators concerned about interference with competing systems. SpaceX, the rocket startup Musk runs, filed for permission for its constellation of refrigerator-sized satellites late in 2016. Selling broadband from orbit is a key part of how SpaceX plans to make money beyond its original rocket-launching service. But the Federal Communications Commission dealt the project a setback Sept 26 with a decision that could force power reductions on SpaceX satellites, and potentially limit the spectrum they can use, making them less effective.

The regulator on a 5-0 vote decided to defer in part to the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations, on how these new satellite systems need to coordinate and share spectrum. The decision was one part of a broad suite of rules intended to help clear the way for satellite constellations. The fleets “could be a gateway to more broadband competition, which benefits all consumers,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said as the agency voted at a meeting in Washington.