Regulatory Compliance News

FCC Proposes Pivot in mmWave Strategy to Support Surging Satellite Economy

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SB Docket No. 25-305) aimed at intensifying the use of the 24 GHz, 28 GHz, 37 GHz, 39 GHz, 47 GHz, and 50 GHz bands. This move signals a major regulatory shift from the 2016 "Spectrum Frontiers" framework.

Originally, the Commission prioritized these bands for dense 5G terrestrial networks. However, as 5G deployment shifted toward mid-band spectrum and the "New Space" economy exploded, the FCC is now looking to remove bottlenecks that have hindered Fixed-Satellite Service (FSS) operators.

Correcting Outdated Market Assumptions

The FCC admits that its 2016 predictions were largely off-target regarding the UMFUS (Upper Microwave Flexible Use Service) bands:

• • Terrestrial Stagnation: Terrestrial 5G use in these bands has been light due to poor signal penetration; major carriers like T-Mobile recently returned hundreds of 28 GHz licenses.
• • Satellite Explosion: Earth station applications increased by 400% between 2021 and 2025, driven by NGSO constellations like Starlink and Kuiper.
• • Regulatory Barriers: Current rules (Section 25.136) limit satellite earth stations to just three per county, a cap the FCC now views as unnecessarily restrictive.

Proposed "Light Licensing" and Automation

To accelerate deployment, the Commission is seeking comment on moving away from slow, manual coordination toward more agile methods:

• • Automated Databases: Implementing a "light licensing" model similar to the 70/80/90 GHz bands, using a portal to provide "green, yellow, or red light" status for new sites instantly.
• • Interference Management: Using an Interference-to-Noise (I/N) threshold of -6 dB to trigger proactive mitigation rather than blocking applications outright.
• • Market-Based Sharing: Encouraging terrestrial and satellite licensees to enter into private sharing agreements rather than relying on rigid federal caps.

Comment Deadlines

The industry is encouraged to weigh in on whether these bands should remain "terrestrial-first" or if the rules should be eased to accommodate the satellite broadband boom. Formal comments are due by January 2, 2026, with reply comments following on February 2, 2026.