What do a sheep farmer in the Outback of Australia, a student in a Caribbean island country, a first responder in a natural disaster, and an executive on a long-haul flight have in common?
They’ve all benefited from additional broadband internet connectivity delivered by low-Earth orbit satellite networks. Fortunately, the Federal Communications Commission is poised to improve these systems. These services are already changing lives and creating economic opportunity for previously underserved communities by bridging the last, most stubborn gaps in the digital divide. With additional satellite constellations coming online soon, more benefits will follow with more competition in the marketplace. I represent some of these satellite operators in my work with Crest Hill Advisors.
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That said, there’s a highly technical but very important issue that holds these services back from reaching their full potential satellite power limits. Low-Earth orbit satellites are required to transmit at limited power levels, supposedly to ensure they don’t disrupt geostationary orbit satellite systems at higher altitudes. While ensuring uninterrupted service from GSO systems is essential, the current limits were set decades ago and have not been updated to account for new technologies and spectrum management techniques. Updating the limits would allow more efficient use of spectrum and improved service from NGSO providers without hurting GSO networks.
The interference levels — called equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits — are set internationally by the International Telecommunication Union and domestically by the FCC. This week, the FCC will vote to revise these limits. The ITU is currently studying the issue and the next opportunity to consider changes is at the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27).
Resistance to changing the EPFD limits has come from a few different sources, with the strongest from some GSO satellite operators. GSO satellites provide critical services and have the right to provide those services without harmful interference. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence that power limits on NGSO systems can be made less restrictive without harmful interference to GSO transmissions. Unfortunately, the objections from GSO providers sometimes seem driven more by concerns about increased competition than increased interference.
To keep pace with technological change, make the most of the limited spectrum available to all satellites, and unlock the full potential of new NGSO constellations, governments and the ITU should adjust the EPFD limits as quickly as possible. The FCC should move forward with its rulemaking plans based on careful studies of the potential impact on users and stakeholders, including GSO incumbents, considering the highest use of our limited airwaves.
Likewise, the FCC, working with the State Department, Commerce Department, and other agencies, should also proactively share its findings and experience on the issue with other regulators around the world. The ITU and its members need to be open to potential changes to EPFD limits at WRC-27. The potential benefits that NGSO services can provide to global connectivity and the importance of efficiently using scarce spectrum merit taking every effort to update EPFD limits globally as quickly as possible. WRC-27 can still provide that opportunity.
THE FERTILITY CRISIS ISN’T AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM. IT’S A CULTURAL ONE
We are entering a new era of instantaneous and global broadband connectivity.
To accelerate and fully realize the many benefits this will bring requires fast and meticulous work on this esoteric technical issue, as well as openness by stakeholders and governments to modernizing outdated limits. Communities around the world that need better connectivity will reap the benefits.
Ambassador Steve Lang is a veteran diplomat, international tech policy leader, and a senior advisor with Crest Hill Advisors.
