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U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

US

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, Wi-Fi, satellite, and cable. Within the space industry, the FCC, particularly through its Space Bureau, leads policy and licensing matters related to satellite and space-based communications activities. It authorizes satellite and earth station systems, streamlines regulatory processes, and fosters efficient use of spectrum and orbital resources, coordinating with other agencies on space policy. The FCC also regulates space launch operations and orbital debris mitigation.

gov civilFounded 1934
Washington, United States
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All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted streamlined licensing procedures earlier in 2020 intended to make it cheaper for smallsat ventures to launch commercial operations.

LegalFinancialValue 3.0Oct 27, 2020Interview | FCC Chairman Pai on RDOF, megaconstellations, debris rules and C-band auction

SpaceX filed with the Federal Communications Commission on 2020-10-15 that the company had successfully launched and operated nearly 300 additional satellites without a failure since an earlier report.

GeneralLegalValue 3.5Oct 24, 2020SpaceX reaches 100 successful launches with Starlink mission

The Federal Communications Commission awarded Microsoft an experimental license in early September 2020 to download data from Urthecast’s Deimos-2 Earth observation satellite.

LegalRelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.2Sep 22, 2020Microsoft unveils Azure Orbital connecting satellites to its cloud

The Federal Communications Commission requires winning bidders from its December C-band auction to cover the cost of replacement satellites for operators vacating the spectrum.

LegalValue 4.0Sep 17, 2020Intelsat taps Maxar for fifth C-band satellite, capping order spree

On 2020-06-23, SpaceX notified the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that nine Starlink satellites had suffered diminished maneuvering capability above injection and that another five had been deorbited either to test the de-orbit process or because the satellites were not performing optimally.

CapabilityLegalValue 4.0Aug 18, 2020Falcon 9 reaches new reusability record during Starlink, SkySat launch

Intelsat ordered Galaxy-30 before the Federal Communications Commission had decided to auction 300 megahertz of C-band spectrum and require satellite operators to vacate the spectrum.

RelationshipsLegalValue 4.0Aug 15, 2020Arianespace lofts three spacecraft in first Ariane 5 launch since start of pandemic

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has $20,400,000,000 allocated for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund subsidies.

FinancialLegalValue 4.5Aug 12, 2020Hughes views OneWeb stake as key to FCC broadband subsidies

Swarm Technologies won Federal Communications Commission approval to offer global internet-of-things service with a constellation of 150 SpaceBee satellites.

LegalPlanCapabilityValue 4.5Aug 3, 2020Swarm works with Exolaunch to fly 24 SpaceBees on SpaceX Falcon 9

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved Amazon’s request on 2020-07-30 to operate a constellation of roughly 3,200 internet satellites in low Earth orbit.

LegalPlanCapabilityValue 4.6Jul 30, 2020Amazon’s Kuiper constellation gets FCC approval

The Federal Communications Commission granted Ligado a modification to its L-band spectrum license on 2020-04-20 to allow the company to build a terrestrial 0.005 kg wireless network.

LegalCapabilityValue 4.2Jul 28, 2020Inhofe blocks nomination of FCC commissioner over Ligado order

Intelsat reversed course in February after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced a $9,700,000,000 incentive program for C-band operators.

LegalFinancialValue 4.0Jul 15, 2020SES files $1.8 billion claim against Intelsat over splitting C-Band Alliance

OneWeb filed a proposal with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in May seeking to increase its constellation by 48,000 satellites.

PlanLegalValue 4.5Jul 7, 2020OneWeb’s revival worries astronomers

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on 2020-06-23 denied a motion by ABS, Hispasat and Arsat to stay the Federal Communications Commission’s C-band auction.

LegalGeneralValue 4.0Jun 23, 2020FCC makes headway in legal battle with ABS, Hispasat and Arsat over C-band auction

The Federal Communications Commission will allow low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband constellations to compete for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund subsidies as a low-latency service effective 2020-06-09.

LegalGeneralValue 4.2Jun 12, 2020LEO constellations still held to high bar in FCC rural broadband subsidy program

A bipartisan group of senators asked Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in a 2020-06-04 letter to provide a detailed account of how the agency arrived at the decision to approve Ligado’s use of a portion of the L-band spectrum to build a 0.005 kg wireless network.

LegalValue 3.2Jun 4, 2020Bipartisan group of senators wants to hear the FCC’s side of the Ligado story

OneWeb submitted plans with the Federal Communications Commission on 2020-05-27 to increase its constellation by 48,000 satellites.

PlanLegalValue 4.0Jun 4, 2020Astronomers warn about effects of other satellite megaconstellations

The Federal Communications Commission’s 2020-04-20 ruling approved Ligado’s use of a portion of the L-band spectrum to build a 0.005 kg wireless network.

LegalCapabilityValue 4.0Jun 4, 2020Bipartisan group of senators wants to hear the FCC’s side of the Ligado story

SES proposed a low Earth orbit constellation to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on 2020-05-26 to seek U.S. market access for that system.

PlanLegalGeneralValue 3.2May 29, 2020SES details LEO constellation and expanded MEO constellation to FCC

Viasat is willing to build a consumer broadband constellation of 288 satellites in low Earth orbit if it can obtain a share of a $20,400,000,000 universal broadband fund the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is preparing to roll out later in 2020.

PlanFinancialLegalValue 4.0May 28, 2020Viasat laid off 300 amid steep drop in air travel

The Federal Communications Commission defended its 2020-05-27 decision to approve Ligado Networks’ use of a portion of the L-band spectrum despite opposition from the Pentagon and other government agencies.

LegalValue 4.0May 27, 2020FCC stands by Ligado decision as lawmakers step up criticism
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