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As SpaceX eyes launching tens of thousands of new satellites for Starlink, the Federal Communications Commission is indicating it’s ready to open the floodgates.
On Monday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced a new effort to fast-track the required approvals for satellite systems that typically take a year or more to review. In a speech, he said it's necessary to ditch the agency's current system for satellite licensing, citing a “three-fold” increase in the number of satellite-related applications over the past decade.
"It’s untenable to just push more stuff through the same regulatory system,” he said. “We need exponential increases in our capacity or efficiency.”
Carr is calling for the FCC to replace its “bespoke licensing processes” with a “licensing assembly line” approach that promises to churn out satellite approvals more like a factory.
“One way to think of this is that we will replace a ‘Default to No’ process with a ‘Default to Yes’ framework,” he said. “Straightforward licensing requests would be presumed to be in the public interest and expedited. We would also simplify our applications, establish clear timelines so companies know what to expect, and increase flexibility for licensed operations.”
In July, the commission took an initial step to speed up satellite approvals by cutting requirements for a portion of the existing rules, such as those covering ground-based radio stations that communicate with orbiting satellites.
However, Carr’s speech indicates he’s ready to embark on a larger overhaul. This also includes facilitating “more intensive use” of satellite spectrum in the upper microwave radio bands. Although the exact text of the proposals hasn’t been released, the FCC is slated to vote on them at its next monthly meeting. (In a bit of irony though, the ongoing government shutdown has caused the Commission to suspend most operations.)
Still, the announcement is good news for SpaceX. In December 2022, the FCC tabled the company’s request to operate an additional 30,000 satellites for Starlink. But a year ago, SpaceX began making another push for the satellite expansion, which promises to upgrade Starlink with gigabit internet speeds.
Last month, the company also filed an FCC application to launch a separate constellation of up to 15,000 satellites to deliver expanded capacity for the cellular Starlink system, currently available via T-Mobile. Other rival companies, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, and Apple partner Globalstar — which have all been working on their own satellite services for home internet or phones —also stand to benefit from Carr’s proposal.
However, the rise of mega satellite constellations has also sparked concerns from environmental groups and astronomers, who worry that these satellites will generate light pollution and potentially affect the Earth’s atmosphere. Under Carr, the FCC is currently pushing to exempt satellites from environmental reviews, which is facing opposition from organizations such as the American Astronomical Society and DarkSky International.
Still, Carr says it’s necessary for the US to lead in space, citing the threat of China and its own satellite ambitions. “They have set their sights on dominating in lower Earth orbit—and frankly up and down every orbit,” he said.