FCC Set to Consider Rewrite of Satellite Licensing Rules

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission will consider an order to modernize its satellite licensing framework here at its July 22 meeting.

Senior FCC officials said Wednesday the complexity, size, and variety of satellite license applications had increased alongside a sharp rise in filings. The order would match the commission’s process to that of the industry – helping providers deploy upgrades to low Earth orbit constellations more quickly, provide more predictability, and give the FCC new tools to promote space innovation.

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The order, stemming from a rulemaking launched in October, would replace much of the FCC's existing satellite licensing rules, known as Part 25, with a new Part 100 framework intended to standardize and speed application reviews.

The agency says the new rules would establish clearer approval standards and allow the FCC to move from case-by-case reviews. Over time, the FCC expects to increase automation of licensing.

The agency would process applications through a more modular system with standardized criteria for routine requests while reserving more intensive review for complex or novel proposals.

An FCC official told reporters the final order dropped an earlier proposal to create a seven-day expedited public comment process. Instead, all applications would receive a single 15-day comment period after commenters argued a unified process would be simpler.

The FCC’s Space Bureau has reduced its satellite licensing backlog by 52 percent over the past 18 months, but a more ambitious course is needed to completely overhaul the space licensing process, a senior official told reporters.

“These reforms will create a faster, more predictable ‘licensing assembly line,’ enhance space safety, and remove outdated regulations to support America’s growing commercial space economy,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wrote in a blog Tuesday. “This puts into action our long-term vision for accelerating the Space Bureau’s work.”

The FCC order was intentionally designed to complement the bipartisan Satellite Streamlining Act pending in Congress. If enacted, much of the legislation's requirements would already be met through the FCC's rulemaking, though additional proceedings would be required for some provisions.

To combat increasing orbital congestion, the FCC’s existing debris mitigation rules will remain in place. The order also added a new requirement that satellite operators share space situational awareness data to improve collision avoidance.

The volume of satellite applications at the FCC has more than doubled over the past decade. The FCC received 295 space station applications and 2,684 earth station applications in 2024, up from 124 space station applications and 974 earth station applications in 2016.

The FCC is expected to release the order publicly Wednesday afternoon.