FCC Grants Key Waiver to Amazon Leo, Keeping Competitive Pressure on Musk’s Starlink
Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz says “Amazon Leo’s service promises to be ‘groundbreaking,’ both in quality of service and affordability for consumers”
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Amazon: The FCC has given Amazon’s $10 billion satellite Internet network a conditional green light to keep launching. In a June 5 order, FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz granted Amazon Leo – the company’s low‑Earth‑orbit broadband project – a limited waiver allowing it to continue deploying its Gen1 constellation even though it will miss a July 30, 2026 deadline to have half its satellites in orbit. Amazon Leo has launched only 331 satellites so far and expects to have 700 deployed by July 30, 2026, a target unlikely to be met and far short of the 1,616 LEOs required by the agency. “Waiver serves the public interest by promoting a second large satellite broadband constellation. At this time, only one operator, SpaceX, is providing broadband to American consumers from low-Earth orbit. Amazon Leo’s service promises to be ‘groundbreaking,’ both in quality of service and affordability for consumers,” Schwarz said in his 10-page order. (More after paywall)
