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US FCC Upper C‑Band auction and incentives
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2026-07-27 06:49 UTC → 2026-07-27 08:14 UTC ·
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US FCC Upper C‑Band auction progress and incentives
In late June 2026 the Federal Communications Commission announced it would auction that 160 MHz of Upper C‑Band spectrum (3.98–4.14 GHz) in 2027, would be repurposed for flexible, next‑generation terrestrial wireless use, extending the previously cleared 280 MHz of lower C‑Band to create into a contiguous 440 MHz “super‑band” for advanced 5G and future 6G services. On 22 July 2026 the “super‑band.” The FCC formally approved the auction, auction on 22 July 2026, ordering incumbent satellite operators such as SES and Eutelsat to relocate to the remaining 40 MHz of Upper C‑Band or other bands, and instituting establishing licensing reforms, FAA coordination for aircraft altimeters, and rebates for domestic aircraft owners. Commissioner Anna Gómez dissented, citing dissented over the lack of a dedicated opportunity for tribal nations. Following the approval, industry players tribal‑nation opportunity. Industry response began preparing for the migration. quickly. On 24 July 2026 USSI Global, a broadcast‑technology firm based on Florida’s Space Coast, Global announced it would support U.S. a suite of engineering, project‑management and testing services to help broadcasters, satellite network operators and media organizations through organisations navigate the transition, offering engineering, project‑management, site‑survey, RF design, equipment procurement, logistics and operational services, as well as a hardware‑agnostic Media Transport Solutions Lab for testing workflows across satellite, terrestrial IP, cloud and emerging 5G/LEO platforms. transition. On 27 July 2026 satellite operator SES welcomed the FCC decision, emphasizing its commitment to cooperate issued a Report & Order that set the detailed transition framework. The auction must be completed by July 2027, with regulators spectrum‑clearing deadlines of 30 Dec 2030 for some blocks and customers. 30 June 2031 for the remainder. Under the order, SES said it would will receive gross incentive payments of roughly $5.6 billion in incentive payments if it meets and Eutelsat $504 million (pre‑tax), both contingent on meeting the FCC‑mandated clearing schedule—auction to be completed by July 2027 with subsequent clearing deadlines in 2030 schedule, and 2031—and that both will be reimbursed for reasonable transition costs would be reimbursed. The company praised costs. CEOs of the FCC’s speed and diligence, reinforcing confidence in two firms welcomed the band’s repurposing certainty the order provides while maintaining service quality for existing C‑Band users. pledging to maintain satellite‑service continuity.
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- 2026-07-27 08:14 UTC US FCC Upper C‑Band auction and incentives
- 2026-07-27 06:49 UTC US FCC Upper C‑Band auction progress
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