Some good news for Elon Musk: FCC ruling means ‘faster speeds, lower costs and greater reliability’ for SpaceX Starlink and other satellites

The FCC has eased low-orbit satellite restrictions
That works out to a 7x capacity increase for internet satellites
The move is welcomed by SpaceX and Amazon

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has delivered some good news to Elon Musk’s Starlink and other satellite internet providers by removing several key restrictions on how much energy satellites can send to and receive from ground stations.

Technically, these are the Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) rules set in the 1990s, as PC Mag reports. Simply put, this means that Starlink and others will be able to operate a much closer range of satellites to provide services to customers.

We’re talking as much as a sevenfold increase in satellite network capacity, which should mean a connection that’s more reliable and faster. However, it will take some time before satellite companies will be able to take advantage.

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“This is a major step toward improving the satellite broadband experience for millions of Americans by enabling faster speeds, lower costs and greater reliability,” the FCC said. “This change could also unlock more than $2 billion in economic benefits for the American people and up to seven times more capacity for space-based broadband services.”

30 April 2026

The rules were introduced to prevent radio signal interference between satellites in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) – also known as low-Earth orbit – from affecting geostationary satellites (GSO) higher in orbit. Now both NGSO and GSO satellites will be able to share more of the communication spectrum.

It’s a change that has been welcomed by Starlink’s David Goldman, as well as Brian Huseman, a vice president at Amazon – another company that wants to build a network of internet-providing satellites with Amazon Leo.

As Gizmodo reports, Viasat is one of the GSO satellite companies that have warned that the move could potentially lead to more interference without proper regulation. Viasat has also expressed concern that Starlink will gain a monopoly on this particular market.

The FCC’s view is that modern satellites are designed to share spectrum more efficiently than they did in the past, and the 1990s rules no longer apply. Starlink, owned by SpaceX, will no doubt be keen to get its next batch of satellites up and running.