Spectrum

EchoStar, FCC in Talks to Resolve AWS-3 Auction Lawsuit

EchoStar fears it could be on the hook for shortfall payments if the re-auction doesn't fetch enough cash.

Jake Neenan

Jake Neenan

— 2 min read
EchoStar, FCC in Talks to Resolve AWS-3 Auction Lawsuit
Photo of the entrance to the FCC meeting room from the agency

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2025 – EchoStar and the Federal Communications Commission are trying to reach an out-of-court settlement over a spectrum auction dispute that the communications company worries could prove costly.

EchoStar had sued the agency over its rules for reauctioning spectrum licenses in the AWS-3 band, licenses that Dish, now owned by EchoStar, had previously returned after the FCC found the company improperly obtained them in 2014. 

If the auction fetches less than the licenses’ original price, about $3.3 billion, then EchoStar is on the hook for any shortfall. That’s something EchoStar said it fears happening as a result of the updated rules.

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