Today, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to promote efficient spectrum sharing between satellites. Public Knowledge commends the agency for moving forward with a long-overdue rulemaking to modernize satellite spectrum sharing between geostationary (GSO) and non-geostationary (NGSO) systems – crucial for closing the digital divide.
The following can be attributed to Nat Purser, Government Affairs Policy Advocate at Public Knowledge:
“Our current spectrum sharing rules rely on interference limits set nearly three decades ago, long before the emergence of today’s advanced low-earth orbit constellations. These outdated interference protections have become a structural bottleneck, limiting the capacity and reach of next-generation networks as well as our ability to connect all Americans no matter where they live.
“Updating these rules is a pro-innovation, pro-consumer move that ensures our spectrum policy keeps pace with — and facilitates — an increasingly robust and competitive satellite broadband market. As launch costs decline, modernized sharing rules will empower a wide range of providers, not just Starlink, to deliver fast, reliable connectivity, especially to rural and underserved communities that have been left behind by traditional broadband solutions.
“This action affirms the Commission’s commitment to efficient spectrum use and will help secure America’s leadership in space-based communications for years to come.”
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