The FCC approved an overhaul of its space and earth station licensing process on Wednesday to create what it calls a “licensing assembly line.”
The order passed on Wednesday discards the FCC’s legacy Part 25 rules and replaces them with a new Part 100. This revises legacy rules around surety bond requirements, license terms, processing rounds, and other application filing frameworks.
The licensing overhaul was the second major decision impacting the satellite industry on Wednesday after it also approved a second C-band clearing and auction.
FCC Chairman Brendamn Carr said the new rules will improve the “quality and predictability” of the FCC’s decisions. He gave an example of a rule change, that Part 100 will allow multiple satellites to be co-located at a single orbital slot. Carr also said the rules streamline licensing for emerging space applications like transfer vehicles and commercial lunar craft.
“The new rules establish bright lines and eliminate fuzzy standards. They keep licensing focused on the FCC’s core statutory responsibilities: spectrum management, harmful interference, national security, and orbital debris. They eliminate guessing games and hidden requirements,” Carr said in a statement during the meeting.
All three FCC commissioners voted to approve the decision. The final order has not yet been released.
