ARLINGTON, Va. — The Federal Communications Commission is reshaping how it regulates space systems, with national security emerging as a central driver alongside commercial innovation, a top agency official said June 16.
Speaking at the SAE Media Group’s Milsatcom USA conference, Jay Schwarz, chief of the FCC’s space bureau, outlined a series of ongoing reforms aimed at modernizing satellite licensing and opening new spectrum bands. While these efforts are often framed in economic terms, Schwarz said they also reflect a growing focus on supporting U.S. defense capabilities in space.
“A strong national defense very much motivates the work that we’re doing at the FCC,” Schwarz said.
The FCC’s space bureau oversees the licensing of satellites and ground stations, manages spectrum allocation for both geostationary and non-geostationary satellite systems, and regulates how U.S. companies operate in space. As private sector investment in space accelerates — particularly in low-Earth orbit broadband constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink — the FCC has taken steps to streamline approvals and improve coordination across government agencies, he said.
“Not all, but most of the licensees who come to the FCC do have some dimension of national security in their work,” Schwarz said. “Dual use is the name of the game,” he added, meaning that commercial space assets increasingly support military operations.
In response, the FCC is working to expedite licensing processes that can otherwise take years and hinder the deployment of both commercial and defense-related satellite services.
“We know how urgent it is for all of our warfighters to have secure, reliable communications for an increasingly contested space domain,” Schwarz said. “So I care about the…
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