By Nick David, Editorial Lead, SatNews
Five hundred megahertz. That’s how much federal spectrum Congress has told NTIA to find for commercial use, and it is now the agency’s top job.
Scott Patrick, executive director of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Office of Spectrum Management, laid out the work Tuesday on the “Regulators as Capacity Allocators” panel at Silicon Valley Space Week’s Satellite Innovation track, moderated by Brian Weimer, partner and space and satellite practice leader at Sheppard. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025, directs NTIA to identify 500 MHz of federal spectrum between 1.3 GHz and 10.5 GHz for reallocation or sharing with commercial users. At least 200 MHz is due by July 2027, and the full amount by July 2029.
“That is a big chunk of spectrum, 500 MHz, and it’s a lot of work, and there was a tight deadline,” Patrick said. Because the statute requires it, he said, the work is NTIA’s primary job right now, and “other things might not be getting as much attention.”
The easiest lifts first
Every federal band costs money to clear, so NTIA is starting with the cheapest. “We want to tackle the easiest lift possible,” Patrick said.
He pointed to the 7 GHz band, where the incumbents are mostly point-to-point microwave links, which he said are not as difficult to relocate. He also named the 1675–1695 MHz band, which he said “has been teed up for a long time.” Some candidate bands predate the law. For others, NTIA informally sounded out federal agencies and potential stakeholders before settling on them, he said.
Karl Kensinger, special counsel in the FCC’s Space Bureau, laid out the division of labor on the same panel. The FCC licenses commercial stations, NTIA coordinates and assigns spectrum for federal systems, and in shared bands the two agencies coordinate individual licenses.
The FCC side: more bands on the table
Kensinger said the commission is taking a more open look at new frequencies for satellites. Its Spectrum Abundance proceedings cover “a large number of bands that, in my experience, 15 years ago would’ve been considered off limits,” he said.
He also cited the FCC’s use of authorizations under No. 4.4 of the ITU Radio Regulations. These let operators use frequencies ahead of a formal allocation as long as they cause no interference and claim no protection. Updating the 25-year-old limits that protect geostationary satellites from non-geostationary transmissions, he added, can increase usable capacity “by a tremendous factor.”
For satellite operators waiting on other federal-band work, the first checkpoint is July 2027, when NTIA must have its first 200 MHz identified.
About the Author
A storyteller at heart, Nick David covers space policy, satellite markets, defense, and the technologies reshaping how humanity operates beyond Earth. With a background in creative direction, brand strategy, and editorial storytelling, he brings a modern lens to complex subjects and a relentless curiosity about what comes next.
