Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has threatened to revoke EchoStar licenses for radio frequency bands coveted by rival firms including SpaceX, which alleges that EchoStar is underutilizing the spectrum.

Regulator’s letter warns of new scrutiny on Ergen’s EchoStar, eyes opening satellite spectrum to rivals including SpaceX.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has told EchoStar that it plans to investigate EchoStar's use of 5G spectrum as the company continues its 5G build-out across the US.

The moves by the FCC to reconsider EchoStar’s 5G and satellite spectrum came after the Wall Street Journal reported that FCC chair Brendan Carr sent a letter to EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen saying “I have asked the FCC’s staff to take several steps regarding spectrum licenses that your companies hold.”

The FCC is taking a fresh look at satellite spectrum power transmission levels in the Ka- and Ku- bands, which haven't been updated in decades.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Wednesday afternoon to send another batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The FCC's request for comments comes after SpaceX's calls to win more satellite spectrum for Starlink. EchoStar, which has licenses to provide mobile-device links, lacks the dense network of ...

That said, assuming the FCC goes through its normal processes, there is little risk of EchoStar losing its access to that spectrum overnight. SpaceX has previously asked only to share the spectrum, and not to take it away from EchoStar completely, meaning Ergen should have time to continue to build out Boost.

The satellite industry continued trends of modest growth in 2024 even as the number of satellites increases rapidly.