FCC Confirms April 30 Vote on Spectrum Rules Poised to Transform Satellite Broadband Access

The Federal Communications Commission confirmed on April 27 via its official Open Meeting agenda that the April 30, 2026 Commission meeting will vote on a landmark Report and Order titled 'Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband' (docket SB 25-157). The order, if adopted, would replace decades-old static interference limits with a performance-based framework allowing NGSO satellite operators like Starlink and Amazon Kuiper to coordinate frequency sharing with terrestrial wireless networks — unlocking an estimated 700% more satellite broadband capacity and creating an estimated $2 billion in economic value. The FCC's Open Commission Meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT on April 30, with the meeting streamed live on fcc.gov and the FCC's YouTube channel. Advocacy groups have highlighted that the spectrum modernization could materially accelerate broadband access in rural and remote areas of Africa, South Asia, and the Americas, where terrestrial infrastructure is not economically viable. The vote comes as Amazon Kuiper completed its sixth production satellite launch on April 27, reaching 270 satellites in orbit and remaining on track for mid-2026 commercial service — adding urgency to regulatory frameworks governing the increasingly competitive LEO broadband market.