Spectrum

DOJ Asks Judge to Toss Ligado Takings Case

The case centers on whether the government has to pay FCC license holders for seizing their airwaves

Jake Neenan

Oct 29, 2026 — 3 min read

Photo of Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general for the DOJ's civil division, from the agency

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2026 – The Justice Department is asking federal judges to throw out a $50 billion lawsuit over government operations preventing the use of a commercial spectrum license.

The agency told the U.S. Court of Federal Claims late Wednesday that a spectrum license doesn’t come with property rights, and the government thus doesn’t have to compensate licensees for occupying their airwaves.

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