FCC Votes to Adopt Landmark Satellite Spectrum Sharing Rules, Unlocking Sevenfold Broadband Capacity Gain

The Federal Communications Commission voted on April 30, 2026 to adopt a Report and Order replacing the decades-old Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) interference framework with modern, performance-based GSO/NGSO spectrum-sharing rules for Ku-band (10.7–12.7 GHz) and Ka-band (17.3–18.6 GHz and 19.7–20.2 GHz) frequencies. The new rules allow NGSO LEO operators such as Starlink and Amazon Leo to coordinate frequency use with geostationary satellites at higher power levels, enabling a satellite broadband operator to simultaneously connect to 7+ satellites where only 1 was previously possible. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the order unlocks an estimated sevenfold gain in usable satellite broadband capacity and more than $2 billion in economic value. Industry analysts noted that this is the most significant spectrum reform for satellite broadband in two decades, with direct implications for affordable internet access in rural and underserved regions across Africa, South Asia, and the Americas where terrestrial infrastructure remains economically unviable. Starlink and Amazon Leo — which have collectively invested tens of billions in LEO broadband — are primary beneficiaries of the rules change.