WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, to advance a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to auction 25 megahertz of mid-band spectrum across the 1675–1695 MHz and 2020–2025 MHz bands.
Docketed to accelerate terrestrial 5G expansion and direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity, the proceeding establishes a dual-allocation model pairing co-primary terrestrial wireless rights with secondary Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) allocations for Supplemental Coverage from Space (SCS).
Dual-Allocation Structure and Technical Parameters
Under the proposed framework, the FCC plans to reallocate the 1675–1695 MHz band on a co-primary basis for fixed and mobile non-federal services, alongside a secondary MSS allocation for domestic SCS, following an ongoing National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) review. The item also adds a secondary MSS allocation for domestic SCS across the 2020–2025 MHz band. This structure expands a 2019 initiative that evaluated sharing the 1675–1680 MHz segment between incumbent federal operations and commercial wireless licensees, establishing unified technical boundaries to prevent uplink interference between orbiting satellites and ground stations.
Alignment with Ongoing Carrier and SCS Proceedings
The auction proposal directly complements the Commission’s Oct. 29 vote to modernize Supplemental Coverage from Space frameworks, which explored opening up to 482 megahertz of flexible-use spectrum for satellite-to-cell services. It also addresses friction highlighted earlier in the week, when AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon petitioned the FCC to exclude 290 megahertz of mid-band frequencies from satellite coverage due to terrestrial noise floor concerns. By auctioning new spectrum with secondary SCS rights already integrated, the FCC offers a coordinated alternative to retrofitting satellite links onto contested terrestrial cellular frequencies.
Long-Term Spectrum Auction Pipeline
The proceeding advances an aggressive federal spectrum pipeline following the completion of a $3.5 billion AWS-3 inventory auction. With more than $45 billion in D2D commercial transaction volume submitted to or approved by the FCC over the past year, regulators plan to auction 160 megahertz of Upper C-band frequencies by July 2027. In total, the Commission aims to transition up to 400 megahertz into commercial circulation by 2028, with future proceedings slated for the 2.7 GHz and 7 GHz bands.
