US set to ease power limits on space-based broadband

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - ‌The Federal ​Communications Commission ​is set to approve rule revisions this month to ease power limits on satellite spectrum use, giving a major boost to ‌space-based broadband services such as SpaceX's Starlink.

The FCC said on Wednesday ⁠it would vote on April 30 on a measure allowing greater and more intensive use ‌of wireless spectrum for space ‌activities, potentially producing $2 billion in economic benefits from increased broadband use.

Existing rules approved in the 1990s limit power usage by Starlink and other systems, and ​the FCC said the proposed revisions could boost capacity for space-based broadband services to as much as seven times current levels, enabling higher speeds, ⁠lower costs and greater reliability.

The revised rules would allow users in rural and remote areas to receive ​the fastest space-based broadband, the commission said.

"By discarding last century's satellite regulations, we could see billions of dollars in benefits for ​the American economy and broadband speeds many ‌times faster than what is available today," FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.

SpaceX filed a petition in August 2024 seeking rule ⁠changes and told the FCC last month that current rules "significantly overly restrict next-generation satellite systems, imposing massive unnecessary constraints that directly harm the millions of consumers reliant on these ⁠systems for high-speed broadband."

U.S. satellite operators Viasat and DirecTV have both raised objections about changing ​the rules, amid concerns over interference with their satellites from higher power levels.

The FCC in January approved SpaceX's request to deploy another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, which it said ‌would provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and supplemental U.S. coverage. That would allow for next-generation mobile services as ‌well as internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

SpaceX has become ⁠the world's largest satellite operator through ‌Starlink, a network of ​just over 10,000 satellites beaming broadband internet to consumers, governments and enterprise customers.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and ‌Edmund Klamann)

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