FCC Plan Seeks Reliable Spectrum Access for 'Weird Space Stuff' Like Orbital Laboratories, In-Space Repairs, and Inhabitable Spacecraft

The Federal Communications Commission voted to start a proceeding to bring greater spectrum abundance to cutting-edge, emergent ventures in space, namely supporting telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) for on-the-horizon endeavors like orbital laboratories, satellite repairs, and private inhabitable spacecraft.  The new “Weird Space Stuff” proceeding looks to address shortages of available, reliable spectrum for such operations.  The FCC will seek comment on ways to expand access, modernize the FCC’s rules, and give America’s space activities the predictable spectrum environment they need to thrive. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) looks to find ways to use market-based principles to see spectrum resources put to more intensive use in the service of the space economy.  The NPRM seeks to clarify and expand the FCC’s traditional regulatory classifications so that emergent operations have more predictable spectrum access.  The proceeding will also explore new spectrum bands that could support new use cases on a dedicated basis to provide a clear, reliable, and expeditious path to support the groundbreaking technologies and services that companies are developing in space.