FCC Reviewing Amazon's Request for More Time on Satellite Deployment
Carr stressed the importance of competition in the LEO market.
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing Amazon’s request for more time to deploy half of its planned satellite network, the agency’s chairman Brendan Carr said Thursday.
Carr did not indicate when a decision might come, but said FCC officials were “reviewing the paperwork” tied to Amazon Leo’s request for a 24-month extension. He emphasized the importance of competition in the satellite internet market, where SpaceX's Starlink has taken an early lead.
Carr made the comments during an interview following a conversation hosted by the Bull Moose Project, during which he highlighted a broader push to boost domestic industry.
Carr suggested the FCC should consider initiatives such as an “onshore America” pledge, under which telecommunications companies could commit to moving foreign-based customer service operations back to the United States to improve consumer protection and security.
A fiber broadband executive attempted to dissuade FCC officials from the idea Thursday, saying their time would be better spent on correcting different market failures.
Carr said the FCC’s role in national security had evolved significantly, with a focus on eliminating dependence on foreign advisary technologies.
Key initiatives have included Operation Clean Cart, he said, which removed millions of unapproved items from e-commerce sites.
He also pointed to steps the agency has taken to restrict foreign telecommunications equipment, including actions targeting Huawei and ZTE and changes to the FCC’s equipment authorization process that limit approval of certain foreign-linked testing labs.
He said the agency has progressively expanded its authority through rulemaking, allowing it to revisit and further restrict older categories of already-authorized devices on a case-by-case basis.
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