As SpaceX eyes launching tens of thousands of new satellites for Starlink, the Federal Communications Commission is indicating it’s ready to open the floodgates.

On Monday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced a new effort to fast-track the required approvals for satellite systems that typically take a year or more to review. In a speech, he said it's necessary to ditch the agency's current system for satellite licensing, citing a “three-fold” increase in the number of satellite-related applications over the past decade.

"It’s untenable to just push more stuff through the same regulatory system,” he said. “We need exponential increases in our capacity or efficiency.”

Carr is calling for the FCC to replace its “bespoke licensing processes” with a “licensing assembly line” approach that promises to churn out satellite approvals more like a factory.

“One way to think of this is that we will replace a ‘Default to No’ process with a ‘Default to Yes’ framework,” he said. “Straightforward licensing requests would be presumed to be in the public interest and expedited. We would also simplify our applications, establish clear timelines so companies know what to expect, and increase flexibility for licensed operations.”

In July, the commission took an initial step to speed up satellite approvals by cutting requirements for a portion of the existing rules, such as those covering ground-based radio stations that communicate with orbiting satellites.

However, Carr’s speech indicates he’s ready to embark on a larger overhaul. This also includes facilitating “more intensive use” of satellite spectrum in the upper microwave radio bands. Although the exact text of the proposals hasn’t been released, the FCC is slated to vote on them at its next monthly meeting. (In a bit of irony though, the ongoing government shutdown has caused the Commission to suspend most operations.)

Still, the announcement is good news for SpaceX. In December 2022, the FCC tabled the company’s request to operate an additional 30,000 satellites for Starlink. But a year ago, SpaceX began making another push for the satellite expansion, which promises to upgrade Starlink with gigabit internet speeds.

By: DocMemory
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