FCC Sets September 2026 Open Meeting Agenda to Unlock Satellite Spectrum Abundance and Modernize Infrastructure Buildout Rules
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published the tentative agenda for its September Open Commission Meeting, scheduled for September 30, 2026, outlining a coordinated series of regulatory orders and notices designed to expand satellite spectrum capacity, streamline environmental permitting for communications infrastructure, and modernize national emergency frameworks.
Announced under the leadership of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the upcoming open session focuses heavily on removing regulatory friction to accelerate domestic telecommunications deployments across terrestrial, space, and unlicensed wireless environments.
A central highlight of the docket is an order titled Unlocking Satellite Spectrum Abundance, through which the commission will consider releasing over 1,000 megahertz of spectrum across the 12.7 GHz and 42 GHz bands to bolster high capacity satellite broadband for direct to home connectivity, maritime networks, and in flight commercial aviation. The satellite item also includes two Further Notices of Proposed Rulemaking exploring an additional 1,175 megahertz across Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies, alongside 138.25 gigahertz within the extreme high frequency D-band to support advanced commercial space operations and orbital manufacturing.
On terrestrial infrastructure, the commission will vote on a Report and Order to overhaul its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules, aiming to clarify review perimeters and expedite infrastructure buildout permits so environmental oversight does not serve as an artificial barrier to fiber and wireless capital investments.
The session will additionally review measures to unleash unlicensed Ultra Wideband (UWB) device innovation, initiate a formal Notice of Inquiry to modernize the national 911 emergency communications framework, and adopt updated Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) rules giving consumers streamlined mechanisms to revoke consent and mitigate illegal automated robocall traffic across voice service provider networks.
