Satellite Spectrum Sharing Rules Updated to Enable Faster Space-Based Broadband
FCC Replaces 1990s Regulatory Framework with Performance-Based Standards
New satellite spectrum-sharing rules designed to unlock faster speeds, lower costs, and greater reliability for space-based broadband services were adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on April 30, 2026. The action could generate more than $2 billion in economic benefits for Americans and enable up to seven times more capacity for satellite broadband operators.
“Today’s FCC decision will help supercharge that competition while expanding our country’s technological leadership.”
Brendan Carr, FCC
The FCC voted to replace the Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) framework — a regulatory regime developed in the late 1990s — with modern, performance-based protection criteria governing how geostationary orbit (GSO) and non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite systems share spectrum. The vote was 3-0, with Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Scott Trusty approving the Report and Order (FCC 26-26). Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issued separate statements.
The EPFD limits had governed how much power NGSO satellite operators — the companies behind low Earth orbit broadband constellations — could use in order to protect GSO satellites from interference. Those limits were engineered around theoretical NGSO system designs from the 1990s and did not account for modern satellite technologies, including adaptive coding and modulation (ACM), which allows satellites to dynamically adjust signal parameters based on link conditions.
The new rules replace the fixed EPFD caps with performance-based GSO protection criteria that take into account what modern technology can actually achieve. Rather than government-mandated power limits, the updated framework encourages NGSO and GSO operators to negotiate interference protections through voluntary, private coordination agreements — building on the FCC’s existing good-faith coordination framework.
“Americans today are benefiting from increased competition for their broadband dollars. We see wireless carriers now competing against cable companies for in-home subscribers. We see cable companies now competing against traditionally wireless companies for mobile subscribers. And increasingly, satellite is competing with them all,” Chairman Carr said during the Commissions monthly open meeting April 30th. “Today’s FCC decision will help supercharge that competition while expanding our country’s technological leadership. Even though high-speed next-gen satellite services provide essential connectivity across the country already, Americans are now about to see a big upgrade. “
The practical effect of the old rules had been to artificially cap the throughput and responsiveness of NGSO broadband constellations currently in orbit. Rural and remote households and businesses — communities most dependent on satellite broadband and least served by terrestrial alternatives — were among those most constrained by the restrictions.
The EPFD framework dates to an era when NGSO satellite networks existed largely as paper concepts. Since then, operators have deployed large-scale low Earth orbit constellations capable of delivering high-speed, low-latency broadband to users globally. The gap between what those systems could theoretically deliver and what the regulatory framework permitted them to transmit had grown wider with each technological advance.
Under the new regime, the FCC projects that eliminating that gap could release up to seven times more usable capacity for space-based broadband. The Commission also estimated that removing the regulatory constraint could produce more than $2 billion in economic benefits — driven by improved service quality, expanded access, and reduced costs for end users.
The Report and Order also preserves the role of private coordination between operators. The FCC’s approach relies on NGSO and GSO satellite operators reaching bilateral agreements on interference protections, rather than imposing uniform technical limits that may be mismatched to actual operating conditions.
The action is part of a broader FCC initiative to modernize spectrum regulations to keep pace with the rapid evolution of commercial satellite technology. LEO broadband constellations have expanded significantly in recent years, with operators including SpaceX’s Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and Eutelsat’s OneWeb network deploying hundreds to thousands of satellites. Those systems now serve millions of customers in the United States and abroad.
The FCC’s adoption of performance-based criteria aligns U.S. spectrum policy more closely with how satellite operators actually use spectrum today — and how they will use it as constellations continue to grow and technology continues to advance.