FCC拟在9月公开会议推进逾1000 MHz卫星频谱开放及UWB规则现代化

FCC Unlocking More Spectrum
Two Items on September Open Meeting Expand Connectivity and Economic Growth

WASHINGTON, September 8, 2026—Today, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the FCC
will vote later this month on two items that would open up massive troves of additional spectrum for
the next-generation connectivity. First, in a satellite spectrum abundance order, the Commission will
vote on unlocking more than 1,000 MHz of spectrum in the 12 GHz and 42 GHz bands for a range of
connectivity services, including even faster satellite broadband. Second, the Commission will seek
comment on a proposal to modernize the FCC’s rules for ultra-wideband technology (UWB)—
unlicensed offerings that power a range of IoT, consumer, and other cutting-edge devices.
Chairman Carr issued the following statement:
“The FCC’s work to free up more spectrum continues apace this month. Today, I shared two items
with my colleagues that will push more commercial spectrum into the marketplace than ever before.
By unlocking these bands, the FCC will give a big boost to American innovation and promote
economic growth across a wide range of industries.”
“In the spectrum abundance decision, we will ensure that consumers continue to benefit from
competitive, high-speed Internet delivered from next-gen satellites. And in our UWB proposal, the
Commission will propose to modernize our existing rules to unlock even more opportunities for
unlicensed devices across a wide swath of spectrum. This spectrum is so seamlessly woven into our
everyday lives, from keeping us safe in our cars to tracking our package deliveries that most people
don’t even realize its critical role. The proposal circulated today represents the Commission’s first
comprehensive modernization of these rules since their adoption in 2002 and works to further refine
and reshape our rules to meet today’s needs.”
Ultra-wideband Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM):

•
UWB technology powers many of the consumer, industrial, automotive, and public safety
applications Americans rely on every day. It plays a vital role across a wide range of
products from automobile collision avoidance radars, to door locks and key fobs, systems for
tracking everything from packages to NFL players, and the ground- and wall-penetrating
imaging systems that support critical public safety and rescue operations.

•
Unlicensed device manufacturers are increasingly finding that UWB’s high data rates,
precise location capabilities, and ability to coexist with other services across multiple
spectrum bands make it the right technology for today’s needs. Today’s NPRM addresses
the technology advancements and explosion in innovative use cases since the Commission’s
landmark 2002 decision to authorize the first unlicensed UWB operations. The NPRM
undertakes a comprehensive look at our UWB rules and proposes forward-looking changes
that will support the next wave of UWB innovation. The proposal includes a new UWB
device category aimed at enabling emerging applications—from AI-enabled sensing, to

advanced ranging systems, and modern access-control systems. The NPRM also addresses
long-standing matters that have been raised through repeated waiver petitions and seeks
comment on requests from the UWB manufacturing community to update specific elements
of the existing UWB rules.

•
The proposed updates to the UWB rules will reduce compliance burdens and provide new
opportunities for innovation while preserving the strong protection of incumbent radio
services that has been the hallmark of nearly a quarter century of innovation. In short, the
NPRM represents the start of the next chapter in a great American success story.
Spectrum Abundance Report and Order:
•
These final rules, if adopted, will take a series of actions that, together, could bring many
thousands of megahertz of spectrum into the marketplace for new and untapped uses.
Bountiful downlink spectrum for consumer terminals provides more bandwidth for in-home
satellite broadband and with more spectrum for fixed earth stations, these rules can improve
how traffic is routed on the ground. Additional capacity for inter-satellite links strengthens
the backbone in orbit and makes it more resilient. Bolstering spectrum access for earth
stations in motion brings better connectivity to ships, planes, and vehicles. New spectrum
for telemetry, tracking, and control opens the door to a wide range of industrial and
commercial innovations in space that we are only beginning to imagine.
•
More specifically, the Commission would unlock more than 1,000 megahertz of spectrum in
the 12.7 and 42 GHz bands. This decision will bring more capacity for satellite broadband to
the home, for in-flight and on-ship connectivity, and for core traffic-routing functions in
satellite ground networks.
•
In addition to these final rules, in a Spectrum Abundance Further Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking, the Commission explores freeing up 1,450 megahertz of spectrum in the Ku-
and Ka- bands, along with 138.25 gigahertz in the D-band, for more intensive satellite
communications. And lastly, in the WSS FNPRM, the Commission adds to the list of
spectrum bands under consideration for “weird space stuff.” This follows the Commission’s
first-of-its-kind proceeding to bring spectrum abundance for missions like in-orbit servicing,
refueling, manufacturing, or operations on or around the Moon—that is, next-generation
space missions that do not provide connectivity to the public.
•
The actions shared today are part of the Commission’s leadership in efficient spectrum
management to provide the spectrum resources that American free enterprise can use to build
a vibrant commercial economy. The Commission looks forward to witnessing how spectrum
abundance and further growth in UWB will expand high-speed connectivity to underserved
areas and unlock the next generation of space-based communications.
The public drafts of these items will be available on FCC.gov tomorrow on the Open Meeting
webpage: https://www.fcc.gov/September2026.
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Media Contact: MediaRelations@fcc.gov / (202) 418-0500
@FCC / www.fcc.gov