Lawmakers and other observers said in recent interviews that Congress’ deal to pass the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act without language giving the defense secretary and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman authority to essentially veto commercial use of 3.1-3.45 GHz and 7.4-8.4 GHz bands (see 2512080055) will only temporarily pause fighting between the wireless industry and DOD supporters over military spectrum holdings. Officials pointed to President Donald Trump’s memorandum last week directing NTIA to explore reallocating federal systems currently on the 7.125-7.4 GHz band to the 7.4-8.4 GHz band and other frequencies (see 2512190086) as a fresh indicator that the ceasefire will be fleeting.
As SES continues to lobby the FCC against letting non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites operate under less restrictive power limits, SpaceX is pushing back, according to dueling filings posted Tuesday in docket 25-157.
The FCC should reinstate the 2016 AM radio revitalization FM translator windows, said a petition for rulemaking from a host of radio broadcasters Monday. The 2016 proceeding temporarily allowed AM broadcasters to purchase FM translators within 250 miles of their location and relocate them to rebroadcast the AM station’s content on the FM band at an available frequency. Monday’s petition proposed making the policy permanent rather than a window and extending the reach to 500 miles “primarily to assist stations on both coasts, the Gulf, and either border with Canada or Mexico.” The petition also called for limiting stations to three translators per AM license.
The FCC should avoid policies that “would grant already-dominant affiliate station groups additional leverage,” said a joint filing from several civil rights groups Monday in the agency’s proceeding on broadcaster network/affiliate relationships. The groups include the Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council, the National Urban League, LGBT Tech and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
The Consumer Technology Association and the Telecommunications Industry Association sought clarification of parts of the FCC’s October order further tightening its equipment authorization rules (see 2510280024). The order makes clear that “covered equipment includes modular transmitters” and prohibits such gear from authorization by companies on the FCC’s “covered list.” It also provides a process for limiting previously granted authorizations without restricting continued operation or use.
The FCC summarized its “key wins in 2025” in a news release Tuesday. It “was a historic year for the FCC and I am proud of all the wins we were able to achieve for the American people,” said Chairman Brendan Carr in the release. “I want to express my thanks and appreciation to the agency’s talented staff for the great and efficient results that they delivered all year long.”
The FCC notified the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Tuesday that five challenges have been filed in five circuits over its latest incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS) order, which significantly revised an order approved in 2024 (see 2510280045). In the latest complaint to be posted, IPCS provider NCIC challenged the order in the historically conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The next step is expected to be a lottery to pick which circuit will hear the case.
The RAIN, LoRa, Wi-Fi, WiSUN and Z-Wave alliances asked the FCC to force NextNav to pause a field test of its 900 MHz 5G positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) network in Santa Clara County, California (see 2512110060). The commission should also amend NextNav’s experimental license to require it to provide additional information on interference and to submit periodic reports, said a filing Monday in docket 25-110.
The White House's recent American space superiority executive order (see 2508140006) sets goals such as a greater launch and reentry cadence, signaling "a shift from aspirational policy to execution -- tying capital formation, operational scale, and national security together," Sheppard Mullin space lawyer Drew Svor wrote Monday on social media. While the order doesn't explicitly name the FCC, "the push to unlock investment and accelerate launch activity inevitably lands on satellite and spectrum licensing, with greater emphasis on speed, coordination, and national-security-aware authorizations," he said. It "represents an important shift in how the United States approaches space policy, investment, and security. For operators and investors, orbital security is now inseparable from licensing velocity, regulatory strategy, and U.S. competitiveness in space."
After a determination by the Trump administration, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their component parts produced in foreign countries that pose “unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States and to the safety and security of U.S. persons” have been added to the FCC’s covered list of companies that present security risks, the agency announced Monday. The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (see 2512110051) required the administration to review whether to add Chinese drone maker DJI to the covered list. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said last week that a decision was likely imminent (see 2512180047).