Spectrum

SpaceX reached a deal to buy cellular spectrum licenses from investment firm Grain Management, its biggest move yet into a wireless market dominated by traditional telecom companies. The Elon Musk-led space company will pay about $8 billion in cash for the assets. The U.S. licenses, which are in the 800-megahertz band, are tailored for wireless service from cellphone towers rather than satellites.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, October 29, 2026:

The Federal Communications Commission recently banged the gavel and closed out our first spectrum auction in nearly 4 years. Bringing that one home was part of a broader effort we are undertaking to reinvigorate the agency’s work on a wide range of spectrum matters. This month, we’re continuing to push ahead with a packed agenda—from kicking off the process for another spectrum auction to supercharging wireless competition and making more good progress on national security, consumer protection, and rural broadband.

In 2025, Edgebeam Wireless was formed to take advantage of the unused spectrum of TV stations. The business is a partnership between the E.W. Scripps Company, Gray Media, Nexstar Media Group, and Sinclair. You may recall that a few years ago the FCC held an incentive auction to lure TV stations to sell their spectrum, and many station owners decided to do so. However, many TV stations, including these companies retained the spectrum because they perceived that the value in using the spectrum was greater than the value of selling it.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that will open up additional spectrum for next-generation connectivity. The FCC will unlock more than 1,000 megahertz of spectrum in the 12 GHz and 42 GHz bands for a range of connectivity services, including even faster satellite broadband. In addition to these final rules, in a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission explores freeing up 1,450 megahertz of spectrum in the Ku- and Ka- bands, along with 138.25 gigahertz in the D-band, for more intensive satellite communications.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a proposal that seeks comment on ways to modernize the FCC’s rules for ultra-wideband technology (UWB)—unlicensed offerings that power a range of IoT, consumer, and other cutting-edge devices. Today’s proposal represents the start of the next chapter in a great American success story. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) addresses the technology advancements and explosion in innovative use cases since the FCC’s 2002 decision to authorize the first unlicensed UWB operations.

Commercializing the 4 GHz band (4.4-4.94 GHz) will be key to U.S. efforts to lead the world in wireless and next-generation AI innovation. The band sits in prime mid-band territory, can support the wide channels required for future advanced network capabilities, and is already aligned with existing global 5G and 6G standards and device ecosystems. As AI traffic spikes and 6G moves from concept to reality in coming years, the United States will need new large, contiguous blocks of full-power commercial spectrum. The 4 GHz band is a prime opportunity for the U.S.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration applauded the release of the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum-26-19, which will drastically improve the process for repurposing federal spectrum for 6G—a key initiative for NTIA as it conducts an unprecedented number of band studies to relocate federal spectrum for commercial use. OMB Memo-26-19 rescinds guidance that prevented NTIA and the Federal Communications Commission from running in parallel the wo

Twenty-five years ago, our nation experienced the deadliest terrorist attack in our history. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was and what I was doing that day.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the September Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026: