FCC Moves to Create "Predictable Regulatory Environment" for Smartphone to Satellite Connectivity

The Federal Communications Commission's Space Bureau granted AST SpaceMobile a permanent license to operate the company’s foundational satellite system.  With this license, AST is now authorized immediately to deploy its constellation of 248 satellites throughout the United States with direct-to-device (D2D) service offerings, working in partnership with AT&T, Verizon, and FirstNet. The FCC is also taking broader action to preserve regulatory certainty for a host of services and companies that use spectrum to connect satellites with portable devices. Specifically, the Space Bureau has released a decision that reaffirms existing licensees’ exclusive rights to use certain D2D spectrum bands by dismissing the requests of several operators to enter those same bands. The Space Bureau’s decision also dismisses two petitions for rulemaking to change the agency’s rules on spectrum rights. By preserving the regulatory certainty necessary for long-term investment in D2D, the FCC is setting the stage for ubiquitous connectivity, the end of coverage gaps, and more robust Internet of Things.