Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER OLIVIA TRUSTY

Re: 	Modernizing Spectrum Sharing for Satellite Broadband, Report and Order, SB Docket No. 25-157 (April 30, 2026).

Nearly thirty years ago, global satellite policymakers endorsed equivalent power-flux density, or (EPFD), limits in the Ku- and Ka- spectrum bands.  These limits reflected a precautionary approach to protecting GSO satellites from harmful interference, while still enabling spectrum sharing between NGSO fixed satellite systems and incumbent GSO operators.  Yet, notwithstanding the utility of the EPFD framework, few could have anticipated the scale and dynamism of the satellite ecosystem three decades following its adoption.  
Today, GSO operators have deployed satellites with enhanced capabilities that support reliable internet connectivity, high-capacity video and audio distribution, and mission critical communications services for our military.  Meanwhile, the NGSO sector has experienced explosive growth, with commercial providers launching constellations of hundreds to thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.  These systems deliver high-speed, low latency broadband, enable direct-to-device communications services, and more.  Together, GSO and NGSO operators are expanding connectivity across the nation and making meaningful progress in our mission to close the digital divide.
Importantly, technological advances now allow NGSO systems to use shared spectrum far more efficiently and to mitigate interference in ways that were not possible when EPFD limits were first implemented.  In light of these developments, it is clear that legacy rules, however well-intentioned, are a constraint to competition, innovation, and American leadership in the space economy.  Today, we begin to correct course. 
The President’s 2025 Executive Order on Ensuring American Space Superiority underscores the importance of U.S. leadership in spectrum policy and calls on policymakers to enable commercial space growth through more efficient spectrum management.   
This rulemaking advances that goal.  It follows the general approach that the Commission has already taken for NGSO-NGSO sharing and the ITU has adopted in the Q- and V- bands for GSO-NGSO sharing.  And it promotes more effective spectrum sharing by moving beyond rigid EPFD limits in the Ku- and Ka- downlink bands and toward a framework grounded in good-faith coordination, coupled with clear short- and long-term protection criteria.  This approach better balances the need for NGSO systems to expand capacity with appropriate safeguards for ongoing GSO operations. 
Just as important, today’s decision positions the United States to lead globally in modernizing satellite spectrum policy.  For years, the United States has recognized the need to revisit international EPFD rules that limit the ability of American companies to improve performance, reduce costs, and deliver better services worldwide.  I appreciate the Chairman’s collaboration in advancing language that positions the U.S. as a leader in future international discussions on EPFD limits.  I am optimistic that today’s action, and the real-world results it enables, will strengthen our hand in advancing global spectrum harmonization through the ITU process.  
I thank the Space Bureau for their hard work on this item. 



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