Data / Federal rules / 2026-09565
Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband
The Federal Communications Commission published this final rule in the Federal Register on May 13, 2026. It took effect on July 13, 2026.
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What the agency says
In this document, the Federal Communications Commission (Commission or we) adopts a Report and Order (Order) that revises the spectrum sharing framework for Geostationary Orbit (GSO) and Non- Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) systems that currently relies on NGSO systems complying with Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) limits developed in the late-1990s. The consequence today of applying such EPFD limits in the United States is that operators must overprotect GSO systems, which in turn means that American households and businesses-- most critically in rural and remote areas--do not receive the fastest space-based NGSO satellite broadband American innovation has available. Based on the technical record in this proceeding, the Order replaces the EPFD framework with modern, performance-based GSO protection criteria. The Order extends the Commission's framework for good-faith coordination and allow NGSO and GSO operators to bargain for appropriate interference protections through voluntary, private agreement. The Order further adopts technical backstops to protect GSO systems when coordination has not been reached.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-09565
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
- Published
- May 13, 2026
- Takes effect
- July 13, 2026
- Dates
- These rules are effective July 13, 2026, except for the amendments to Sec. Sec. 25.146(a)(3) (amendatory instruction 2) and 25.289(a)(2) (amendatory instruction 4), which are indefinitely delayed. The Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing the effective date of these rule sections.
- Docket
- SB Docket No. 25-157; FCC 26-26; FR ID 345051
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 47 CFR 25
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure; Incorporation by reference; Satellites
- Pages
- 21
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Everything from the Federal Communications Commission · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on incorporation by reference · Rules on satellites · Published in May 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.