FCC building. Photo: FCC

The FCC is set to vote later this month to update satellite spectrum-sharing rules between Geostationary (GEO) and Non-Geostationary (NGSO) satellite systems.

If adopted, the Report and Order would replace the currently equivalent power flux density framework. The FCC said in a statement that changes would “enable faster speeds, lower costs, and greater reliability” for broadband, saying there has been “government-imposed overprotection of GSO systems.” 

This comes after last year, the FCC began a review of spectrum sharing between GEO and NGSO systems, and invited comments on satellite power limits.

Technically, EPFD is defined as a calculation of how powerful a radio signal should be as it reaches an area on the surface of the Earth based on the distance from a transmitter. These limits facilitate spectrum sharing by GEO and NGSO systems. 

It’s been a hot-button issue in the satellite industry and was part of discussions at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), and ongoing discussion in the industry. 

“By discarding last century’s satellite regulations, we could see billions of dollars in benefits for the American economy and broadband speeds many times faster than what is available today. This overdue rethinking of space spectrum sharing rules will bring greater competition to the broadband marketplace and reduce the number of satellites needed to serve a given area,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. 

The FCC’s statement said the current framework would be replaced by performance-based GSO protection criteria that “take account of improved spectrum sharing possibilities that modern satellite technology has brought, including through use of adaptive coding and modulation (ACM).”

The FCC’s open meeting this month is set for April 30. The public draft of the Report and Order is set to be made available on Thursday.