Chairman Carr Launches FCC's 'Space Month' Agenda

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced the launch of his “Space Month” agenda. One of the core objectives of the FCC’s Build America Agenda is boosting America’s space economy, and the Chairman has previewed actions that the FCC will vote on later in October to reimagine the regulatory framework for space innovation. First, the FCC plans to modernize the FCC’s licensing processes to match the scale and dynamism of today’s space economy. It will do so by doing away with bespoke licensing processes in favor of a “licensing assembly line.” This will include expediting licensing requests presumed to be in the public interest, as well as simplifying applications, establishing clear timelines, and increasing flexibility for licensed operations. Next, the FCC will facilitate more intensive use for upper microwave spectrum. Nearly a decade ago, the FCC set rules for siting Earth Stations in the Upper Microwave Flexible Use (UMFUS) bands. Since then, demand by the space sector for spectrum has skyrocketed, including for use of these bands. This proposal from the FCC will look at a wide range of reforms to our Earth Station siting rules to more intensively use these spectrum bands and to streamline the Earth Station licensing process.