What did the FCC actually vote to do?
Per SatNews and Reuters, the Commission voted at its October 29 open meeting to adopt the "Unleashing Licensed Spectrum for Direct-to-Device" Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (GN Dockets 26-281, 23-65). The adopted notice proposes making 482 MHz available for Supplemental Coverage from Space across 13 bands (up from 5), licensing consumer handsets by rule rather than individual certification, setting baseline interference limits, and replacing the old lease-every-license-holder requirement with custom license areas and coexistence agreements. In the same meeting, the Commission advanced a companion proposal to auction 25 MHz in the 1675-1695 MHz and 2020-2025 MHz bands for terrestrial, satellite or hybrid use. We previewed the full proposal and the fight over it ahead of the vote.
What did the vote not decide?
The hard part. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile petitioned this week to exclude 290 MHz of mid-band spectrum (2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz), citing interference modeling that shows a single satellite-to-phone handset can knock out a ground tower's uplink a mile or more away. The FCC did not accept or reject that carve-out in this vote; the adopted notice proposes the full 482 MHz and asks for technical evidence. The carriers' interference arguments, and the satellite industry's counter-arguments, now fight it out in the comment record. Nothing about the October 29 vote guarantees any particular slice of spectrum survives to the final rules.
What happens next, and when?
The notice goes to the Federal Register, which opens a 60-day public comment window (per SatNews), followed by reply comments. Expect heavyweight filings from the carriers, SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile, and, newly relevant, Amazon, which received FCC approval on October 27 to buy Globalstar and its satellite spectrum. Final rules typically follow many months after the comment cycle closes, so 2027 is the realistic frame. Services already live, like T-Satellite texting, keep running under their existing authorizations the whole time.
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Frequently asked questions
Did the FCC approve 482 MHz for satellite-to-phone service?
Not finally. On October 29 the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would open 482 MHz across 13 bands. That starts the formal process; final rules come after a 60-day public comment window and reply cycle.
Did the carriers get mid-band spectrum excluded?
No. The FCC did not rule on the AT&T-Verizon-T-Mobile petition to exclude 290 MHz (2.5 and 3.45 GHz). The proposal includes the full 482 MHz and invites technical evidence; the fight moves to the comment docket.
When could satellite-to-phone service actually use the new spectrum?
Not before final rules, realistically 2027. Existing services continue under current authorizations and waivers in the meantime.
What else did the FCC vote on for satellite service?
A companion proposal to auction 25 MHz in the 1675-1695 MHz and 2020-2025 MHz bands for terrestrial, direct-to-device, or hybrid networks, plus an initial vote modernizing direct-to-device rules more broadly, per Reuters.
Who benefits from today's vote?
Satellite-to-phone operators: SpaceX's Starlink Mobile, AST SpaceMobile, and Amazon (via its newly approved Globalstar acquisition). The vote signals the FCC wants the lane open; how wide it ends up depends on the comment fight over mid-band.