Bands for Satellite-to-Phone Service Would Grow From 5 to 13, Adding 482 MHz: FCC Releases Proposal to Modernize D2D Leasing Rules
Washington — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on October 30 formally released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC-26-71) to modernize the spectrum leasing rules for direct-to-device (D2D) services. Titled "Unleashing Licensed Spectrum for Direct-to-Device; Single Network Future: Supplemental Coverage from Space," the item, in GN Docket Nos. 26-281 and 23-65 and handled by the FCC's Space Bureau, was adopted at the commission's October 29 open meeting and released on October 30.
According to the FCC document and reporting by Via Satellite, the proposal would increase the number of bands available for Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS) from five to 13, opening nearly 482 megahertz of additional spectrum across eight more bands so satellites can connect directly to ordinary mobile phones.
The proposal also seeks to eliminate the SCS framework's geographically independent area and blanket lease requirements, replacing them with flexible license areas and coexistence arrangements, removing the need for routine waivers, and updating technical standards and performance rules for networks that combine terrestrial and satellite coverage.
The current SCS framework, adopted by the FCC in 2024, lets satellite operators lease spectrum from terrestrial mobile carriers so that a normal phone can connect to a satellite in remote areas beyond terrestrial coverage. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the 2024 rules were already out of date, pointing to about $45 billion in D2D spectrum deals over the past year, including transactions between SpaceX and EchoStar, Amazon and Globalstar, and Rocket Lab and Iridium.
"With today's proposal, we take our most comprehensive step yet to modernize the FCC's rules for direct-to-device," Carr said. "In this item, we intend to give D2D providers more flexibility to obtain new sources of spectrum, but we do so mindful of the unique technical considerations that prevail in some of these bands," he added.
According to Via Satellite, the commissioners approved the rulemaking unanimously on October 29; public comments will be sought after the notice is published in the Federal Register, with final rules to follow the comment period. The Satellite Industry Association commended the FCC for expanding spectrum for SCS and refreshing the regulatory framework. At the same meeting, the FCC also voted on a companion proposal to auction 25 megahertz of mid-band spectrum for 5G and direct-to-device use.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国联邦通信委员会主席 Brendan Carr 官方肖像，身后为美国国旗与联邦通信委员会徽记。联邦通信委员会官方照片，公共领域（联邦政府作品）；GSM 自家图库联邦包 fed-fcc-head 横幅裁切版。 / Photo: Official portrait of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, with the U.S. flag and the FCC seal behind him. FCC official photo, public domain (federal government work); GSM federal asset pack fed-fcc-head, landscape crop.
