FCC to Vote on Opening up 17 GHZ for Satellite Broadband
The agency is set to vote on September 26.
Jake Neenan
WASHINGTON, September 5, 2024 – The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote on making more airwaves available for satellite communications. The agency’s top official said it’s an effort to spur satellite broadband.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote in a note that the agency will move to make 1,300 megahertz in the 17 GHz band useable for “high-throughput satellite communications” at its September 26 open meeting. The order would open up 500 MHz of new spectrum for the technology, according to a public draft of the item posted Thursday.
“These changes will facilitate the deployment of high-speed broadband and other advanced satellite services, especially in remote, unserved, and underserved areas,” Rosenworcel wrote.
EchoStar and DirecTV already operate in the band with geostationary satellite systems, which orbit earth above a specific point over the equator – opposed to the more mobile low-earth orbit satellites that provide broadband. Since the FCC first started taking comment on opening 17 GHz band spectrum to non-geostationary satellites in 2022, the companies have advocated for robust interference protections if access is expanded.
Amazon’s Kuiper Systems and Starlink-owner SpaceX, which provide broadband via LEO satellites, have argued to the agency that strong protections aren’t warranted and the spectrum can be allocated quickly. Kuiper, which is still prototyping its constellation, met in May with staff from three FCC commissioner offices to reiterate calls for opening up the band.
The agency said the order will allow non-geostationary satellites to use the band “while also protecting incumbent operations.” The draft order said the agency was not persuaded to take up the more stringent measures EchoStar and DirecTV proposed.
LEO broadband, and thus Starlink, which dominates the market, is poised to scoop up some grant money from the Biden administration’s fiber-focused broadband subsidy. The $42.5 billion BEAD program requires states to come up with a plan for connecting every home and business without high speed internet access, and it allows states to fund LEO broadband for especially remote locations.
The Commerce Department is still working out how exactly to structure those grants and is taking comments on the issue through September 10.
