FCC sets Oct. 29 vote on auctioning 25 megahertz for satellite-to-phone service

The Federal Communications Commission said on Oct. 7, 2026, that its commissioners will decide on Oct. 29 whether to put 25 megahertz of spectrum up for auction for services that connect satellites directly to mobile phones.

At the same meeting, the agency will consider opening a public comment period on releasing another 482 megahertz for coverage from space and on updating its rules governing direct-to-device service in licensed airwaves, according to an FCC press release cited by CNBC. A third item would lift a restriction that currently bars drone operations in the 800 MHz cellular band.

The measures could help SpaceX and Amazon, both of which are building satellite networks aimed at mobile handsets. On Oct. 6, 2026, the FCC's Space Bureau approved an application for a SpaceX direct-to-cell constellation of 15,000 satellites that will rely on spectrum the company bought from EchoStar.

Amazon asked the agency in July for clearance to launch as many as 5,105 internet satellites, telling regulators it was aiming at customers poorly served by existing wireless carriers. In August, the company agreed to buy Globalstar in a transaction valued at more than $11.5 billion to strengthen its Leo satellite internet unit.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the drone item responds to President Trump's call for "drone dominance."

This story was first reported by CNBC.