FCC votes to auction mid-band spectrum for terrestrial and satellite networks

The Federal Communications Commission voted on Friday, October 30, 2026, to advance a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to auction 25 megahertz of mid-band spectrum, SatNews reported. The proceeding aims to accelerate terrestrial 5G expansion and direct-to-device satellite connectivity. Inside Towers also reported that the agency planned a mid-band spectrum auction for advanced wireless services. [1][3]

According to SatNews, the proposed auction covers the 1675 to 1695 MHz and 2020 to 2025 MHz frequency bands. The regulatory framework uses a dual-allocation model that pairs co-primary terrestrial wireless rights with secondary Mobile Satellite Service allocations for Supplemental Coverage from Space. Under this framework, the agency plans to reallocate the 1675 to 1695 MHz band on a co-primary basis for fixed and mobile non-federal services. [1]

The United States Federal Communications Commission is an independent government agency that regulates satellite, radio, television, wire, internet, and cable communications, maintaining jurisdiction over radio frequency use. Governments use spectrum auctions to assign scarce electromagnetic spectrum resources efficiently to private entities. [4][5]

As FTMQ Space reported earlier, regulators voted on October 29 to modernize rules for direct-to-device satellite operations and consider opening up to 482 megahertz of additional spectrum. Regulators also recently approved Amazon's acquisition of satellite operator Globalstar for up to 11.5 billion dollars to integrate its low Earth orbit constellation into the Amazon Leo business unit. [7][8]