FCC Moves to Loosen Satellite Power Limits, Expand Shared Access to 37 GHz Band

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission moved unanimously on Monday to modernize several regulations, approving proposals focused on satellite power limits, spectrum sharing, robocall protections, and foreign ownership rules.

Commissioners voiced strong support for all four items, with little debate and bipartisan praise for the efforts to update longstanding policies.

The commission first approved a notice of proposed rulemaking to revisit decades-old satellite power-sharing limits. The item would modernize spectrum sharing rules between non-geostationary satellites, like medium and low Earth orbit satellites, and geostationary satellite systems.

"American innovators and the people they want to serve have been throttled by outdated rules," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, noting that the item would update policies that had not been revised since the 1990s.

“This rulemaking will examine modern satellite technology and operations to address the single most constraining regulatory requirements on broadband satellite systems today, [power limits]" said Clay DeCell, an FCC attorney advisor who presented the item.

“The notice would ask how satellite services have changed in the 20+ years since these rules have been adopted, how current limits impact the services provided by non-geostationary satellites and whether updated or alternative sharing frameworks would promote greater efficiency to the benefit of American consumers,” DeCell said.

SpaceX, the market-dominating LEO operator, had asked the FCC in August 2024 to revisit limits on power levels. Rather than proposing specific new rules, the FCC is asking whether and how the current power limits on non-geostationary satellites could be loosened, while still protecting geostationary systems from interference.

EchoStar, a geostationary satellite provider, had opposed the NPRM. Still, it received a 4-0 vote from commissioners.

"Any rules that we have in the satellite space that are over 20 years old are definitely worth a fresh look," Commissioner Geoffrey Starks voiced support.

The FCC also adopted a new licensing framework for the 37-37.6 GHz band, effectively opening up 600 megahertz of spectrum for commercial services.

“The Lower 37 GHz band can be used to support services like fixed wireless broadband, as well as the Internet of Things,” Carr said. “But there are challenges. The Lower 37 GHz band is a shared band – both government and commercial entities are allowed to operate in it – and there are no clear rules of the road for sharing.” 

“This proceeding can fix that by establishing rules for commercial fixed wireless on a shared basis with federal users,” Carr said.

Under the proposed rules, a licensee would be required to first check whether a proposed site might interfere with existing users. If the answer is yes, the applicant would have to coordinate with those incumbents, a process that would be overseen by the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

The military would have priority in the bottom 200 megahertz of the band. The idea came from the National Spectrum Strategy, a report produced under the Biden administration’s NTIA and Defense Department in an effort to study government airwaves for potential repurposing with the private sector.

The FCC also moved to expand robocall protections by requiring non-internet protocol networks to authenticate caller ID, closing a longstanding loophole exploited by robocaller to scam consumers.

The new proposal would require providers operating legacy, non-IP networks to implement authentication technologies similar to the STIR/SHAKEN framework already mandated for IP-based calls.

"It is time — probably past time — for us to go after these non-IP frameworks and stomp out robocalls," Commissioner Starks said during the meeting.

Lastly, the FCC approved a proposal to clarify and codify its foreign ownership rules for broadcast, telecom, and aeronautical licensees.

The notice of proposed rulemaking would formalize longstanding FCC policies around how foreign investment is evaluated under Section 310(b) of the Communications Act. 

"By having unwritten or uncodified rules, it makes it harder for entities to understand and navigate our requirements," Carr said, adding that the effort is intended to promote transparency, consistency, and national security.

Commissioners also used the meeting to praise outgoing Wireline Competition Bureau Chief Trent Harkrader, calling him a "problem solver" and a "trusted public servant" who had steered the FCC through complex regulatory initiatives.

Since 2011, Harkrader has led major reforms of all four of the FCC's universal service programs. He spearheaded the FCC's work on the national security supply chain proceeding and managed the Commission-wide initiative to fund health care providers offering essential telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.