Summary
The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to update how satellite operators share spectrum, moving away from an EPFD-based system toward performance-based GSO protection criteria. The Commission said the new approach recognizes advances in satellite technology and spectrum-sharing techniques, and could expand capacity and reduce costs for satellite broadband users across the United States.
The Report and Order replaces the Equivalent Power Flux Density framework with performance-based protections for GSO systems. Under the new rules, protections will reflect real-world sharing capabilities enabled by modern satellite features such as adaptive coding and modulation, rather than the theoretical NGSO designs that underpinned the 1990s-era EPFD limits.
The FCC estimates the rule change could unlock more than $2 billion in economic benefits and increase space-based broadband capacity by as much as seven-fold. The Commission framed the update as responsive to improvements in how satellites can coexist in shared spectrum.
The revised sharing regime expands on the agency’s existing coordination framework by allowing non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) and geostationary orbit (GSO) operators to negotiate interference protections through voluntary private agreements. The Commission said this private negotiation channel is a key element of the updated approach.
Regulators described the prior regime as rooted in restrictions from the late 1990s that capped NGSO operators’ power levels using EPFD limits designed to protect GSO satellites. Those limits were based on theoretical NGSO designs from that period and predated the technical advancements now used in contemporary NGSO constellations.
The FCC said the government-imposed protections had constrained access to the fastest available space-based broadband services for American households and businesses, particularly in rural and remote areas. The agency portrayed the order as intended to expand availability and improve performance for end users.
The Commission adopted the order on Thursday with approval from Chairman Carr and Commissioners Gomez and Trusty. Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issued separate statements following the vote.
Key points
- The FCC replaced the EPFD framework with performance-based GSO protection criteria to better reflect modern satellite capabilities.
- The agency projects more than $2 billion in economic benefits and up to seven-fold more capacity for space-based broadband.
- The new rules allow NGSO and GSO operators to negotiate interference protections via voluntary private agreements, building on the Commission’s coordination framework.
Sectors impacted: Satellite broadband providers, rural internet access, and telecommunications equipment suppliers.
Risks and uncertainties
- Reliance on voluntary private agreements means outcomes depend on whether NGSO and GSO operators can reach satisfactory interference protections.
- Transitioning from the legacy EPFD limits to performance-based criteria will require operational adjustments by affected satellite operators, with uncertain timelines and costs.