FCC Updates Satellite Spectrum Sharing Reference Links, Effective December 7

The Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau published a final action on Thursday, November 5, 2026, updating the initial set of geostationary (GSO) satellite network reference links adopted earlier this year for spectrum sharing between GSO and non-geostationary (NGSO) systems. The update, issued under SB Docket No. 25–157 and DA 26–973, takes effect December 7, 2026 and changes the technical benchmarks satellite broadband operators must meet in the 10.7–12.7 GHz, 17.3–18.6 GHz and 19.7–20.2 GHz space-to-Earth bands. It appears in the Federal Register as FR Doc. 2026–22600, at 47 CFR Part 25.

The revision traces back to the Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband Report and Order (FCC 26–26), adopted by the Commission on April 30, 2026. That order concluded that the previous NGSO–GSO sharing regime — built on equivalent power-flux density (EPFD) limits developed in the 1990s — was “spectrally inefficient and overprotective” of modern GSO networks, and replaced it with a framework combining good-faith coordination and performance-based GSO protection criteria as a backstop when coordination fails.

Under the new procedure, an NGSO applicant may either certify that it has completed a coordination agreement with any operational co-frequency GSO network, or submit a compatibility showing demonstrating that it will not cause unacceptable interference to a system with which coordination was not completed. Those showings rely on GSO reference links, which reflect typical GSO operations in the United States. The order adopted an initial dataset of 328 GSO reference links drawn from International Telecommunication Union data and Commission licensing databases, and delegated authority to the Bureau to refine it by public notice.

What the Bureau changed

The Bureau sought comment on the dataset on May 12, 2026, drawing nine comments, seven reply comments and several ex parte filings. Based on that record, it took five steps:

• Added up-to-date links submitted by GSO operators reflecting current operations, plus replacement links proposed by one NGSO operator and drawn from the licensing database for every authorized GSO operator in the Ka-band.
• Removed legacy links tied to operations outside the United States, to networks that never began operations or ceased more than a decade ago, and to links already superseded in the record.
• Revised parameters judged non-representative, including corrections to certain Hispasat links.
• Adopted a 9.5 dB unavailability carrier-to-noise (C/N) threshold as the upper bound for modern non-ACM user terminal links.
• Streamlined the columns of the dataset to support coordination and drop extraneous information.

The carrier-to-noise dispute

The most contested parameter was the treatment of non-ACM links with unusually high C/N levels — up to 18 dB — in the initial dataset. DIRECTV, described in the document as one of the most widespread users of non-ACM links, argued those thresholds “are not reflective of non-ACM operations.” SpaceX proposed a 9.5 dB ceiling, noting that of 40 new non-ACM user terminal links submitted by GSO operators, only three exceeded that level and each appeared to originate from a satellite past its design lifespan.

SES, which submitted the high C/N links, contended that some of its GSO media distribution services depend on non-ACM links designed for high availability and use a 12.6 dB threshold to maximize link capacity. The Bureau sided with DIRECTV and SpaceX, finding higher values to be relative outliers on older networks and deeming 9.5 dB “a reasonable upper bound” for typical non-ACM user terminal links.

A staged approach to further revision

The Bureau declined to make broader changes to the dataset or to the underlying selection criteria at this time, saying it was wary of modifying criteria and “potentially introducing edge-cases into the analysis.” It noted that links left out of the dataset but no less constraining for a given NGSO system will still receive protection levels equal to or greater than the adopted GSO protection criteria, since all GSO links are shielded through the constraints placed on NGSO systems to protect the “most sensitive link.” The Commission said it will reassess once it gains operational experience under the new rules.

The revised dataset is included in an Attachment to the document. No information collection requirements change and no supplemental regulatory flexibility analysis was needed, the Commission said, adding that the action is non-major under the Congressional Review Act. Clay DeCell (202–418–0803) is the contact; the notice was signed by Jennifer Gilsenan, Deputy Chief of the Space Bureau.

For satellite broadband operators, the update fixes near-term engineering constraints: NGSO constellations must now size their operations against a dataset that assumes a 9.5 dB ceiling for non-ACM links, while GSO incumbents gain a narrower set of benchmarks more closely tied to actual U.S. operations. The effective date of December 7, 2026 leaves barely a month for pending compatibility showings to be recalculated.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 213, November 5, 2026, Rules and Regulations, p. 69725 (official reference: FR Doc. 2026–22600; SB Docket No. 25–157; DA 26–973).