The FCC's calendar for September 30th includes a vote that is expected to have an impact on space-based broadband services by making more of the spectrum available to them. Commissioners will consider authorizing high-speed satellite's use of parts of the 12 GHz and 42 GHz bands. If approved this could open as much as 1,000 MHz to airplanes, ships and vehicles on land.
The FCC states on its website that [quote] "Spectrum abundance fuels innovation and investment in the American space economy. It creates additional capacity for in-home satellite broadband for video, gaming, and AI, improves how traffic is routed on the ground, provides better connectivity to ships and planes, and opens the door to a wide range of industrial and commercial innovations in space." [endquote]
The commission has been moving ahead on measures designed to help a variety of space-based services improve their position in the marketplace. Commissioners voted in the spring to relax power limits on satellites' use of the spectrum. The goal is to allow more of the spectrum to be available for activities such as space-based broadband - a move that by some estimates could generate as much as $2-billion in economic benefits.
