FCC Updates Rules to Facilitate Non-Geostationary Satellite Systems

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an updated regulatory framework to facilitate the delivery of broadband services through satellite constellations. The action paves the way for greater broadband offerings in the United States, particularly in remote and rural areas. The FCC updated, clarified and streamlined the current rules governing non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) fixed-satellite service (FSS) systems to better reflect current technology and promote additional operational flexibility.
Specifically, the Report and Order:
Amends the Table of Frequency Allocations to better accommodate NGSO and geostationary satellite operations in the Ka-band (20/30 GHz);
Streamlines the NGSO milestone rules for deployment and eliminates the international geographic cover requirements to provide greater flexibility to NGSO FSS operators, and
Adopts a new threshold to characterize circumstances where–absent a coordination agreement between operators—a default mechanism will govern spectrum sharing
between operators.