FCC Looks at Freeing Up More Spectrum for Starlink to Improve Downloads
The next regulatory battle facing SpaceX’s Starlink may involve the 17GHz radio band, which the FCC is considering opening up to low-Earth orbiting satellite internet providers.
The FCC today updated(Opens in a new window) its rules to permit higher-orbiting geostationary satellites to use the 17GHz band for downlinking purposes. This means they can share the spectrum with existing TV broadcasting satellite services to beam data to the Earth, including for internet access.
The change promises to supply “additional downlink capacity for high-throughput satellite communications,” according to the FCC. Now the US regulator is considering expanding the 17GHz access to non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite services, including SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s upcoming Project Kuiper.
In its rule-making, the FCC notes it’s asking for comment, including technical studies, on how it should allocate the spectrum without affecting incumbent users. Prior to Wednesday’s decision, SpaceX, Amazon, and UK satellite internet provider OneWeb, among others, sent letters to the FCC calling on the commission to open the spectrum to low-Earth orbiting satellites.
“SpaceX agrees with Amazon that timely access to the 17GHz band is critical to enable satellite operators to meet the growing demand of American consumers for next-generation broadband connectivity wherever they are,” the Elon Musk-led company told the FCC back in April.
According to SpaceX, the company faces a potential bottleneck to supply high-speed, low-latency internet through Starlink due to already regulated access to other radio spectrum bands. The Starlink system can currently supply download speeds as high as 200Mbps for residential users. But over the long term, SpaceX is
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