TAMPA, Fla. — The Federal Communications Commission is set to vote July 22 on an order to overhaul its satellite application process, creating a “licensing assembly line” to keep up with increasingly large and complex constellation plans.
The Space Modernization Order would replace the FCC’s long-standing Part 25 space and Earth station regulations with a new Part 100, revising rules around processing rounds, license terms, surety bond requirements and other application filing procedures.
It would cut red tape and expand the types of minor license modifications operators can make without needing prior FCC authorization, while cutting the public notice window for typical license requests to 15 days from 30 days, except when longer is required by statute.
The broader overhaul aims to move reviews that can stretch for years onto timelines measured in months or weeks to support constellations as they replenish and upgrade satellites.
To reduce the risk of collisions as more satellites crowd low Earth orbit (LEO), the order would require operators to share satellite tracking data with an approved space situational awareness provider. It would also seek comment on creating a space-based experimental licensing regime and other reforms for space and Earth station applications.
