Boeing, Lockheed Martin and a coalition of aerospace and defence groups have formally asked the FCC to slow down a SpaceX-backed overhaul of how wireless spectrum is coordinated for rocket launches, warning the changes could raise the risk of harmful electromagnetic interference in shared telemetry bands.

According to Bloomberg, the proposed reform would replace the third-party frequency-coordination system that currently governs how government agencies and commercial operators share key telemetry spectrum. The FCC opened a public comment process on modernising launch spectrum coordination after an August 2026 Presidential Memorandum and a petition filed by the Commercial Space Federation (CSF).

Filings highlighted by Vertical Aviation International show the CSF asked the FCC to scrap the existing flight-test frequency coordination process in favour of direct coordination and an automated, near-real-time database spanning the shared telemetry bands.

The pushback came from the Aerospace & Defense Industry Spectrum Coalition, whose members span aerospace and defence organisations, commercial aircraft manufacturers and flight-test operators.

Why do the shared bands matter?

In a joint submission, the coalition argued the frequencies at stake are vital for real-time safety telemetry. It listed three specific uses:

• Prototype aircraft evaluations;
• Certification flights for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft;
• Defence readiness testing.

The coalition also took issue with the timetable. It argued the FCC's expedited comment schedule did not leave enough time for comprehensive technical studies to verify that a new coordination model would not cause interference.

The dispute puts the regulator in a familiar bind. The FCC must weigh faster rocket launch schedules — a priority for SpaceX and the broader commercial space sector — against the operational needs of aerospace and defence users occupying the same spectrum. No decision date was indicated in the filings reported so far.

FCC clears 15,000 next-generation satellites

The spectrum fight landed in the same week SpaceX secured a separate and significant regulatory win. The FCC on 6 October approved the company's application to launch 15,000 next-generation satellites for its direct-to-device (D2D) mobile service, opening a path for SpaceX to compete directly with AT&T, T-Mobile US and Verizon.

SpaceX filed the application in September 2025, before rebranding its D2D satellite offering as Starlink Mobile earlier this year.

The throughput targets underline the ambition. SpaceX is aiming for download speeds of 150Mb/s on its D2D service, compared with about 4Mb/s on the downlink for the Starlink provisioned offering supplied through T-Mobile.

The FCC framed the approval in competitive terms. "With this action, SpaceX's planned deployments will reshape spectrum-based connectivity by improving competition, allowing more consumers more choices in more places to further the Commission's goal to connect everyone, everywhere to modern communications services," the agency stated on 6 October.

What separates the plan from conventional D2D?

Rather than relying on a terrestrial network of cell towers, SpaceX plans to pair its satellites with ground-based femtocells to deliver 5G mobile coverage. The architecture is ambitious, and scepticism within the industry is not hard to find — a number of executives consider the approach far-fetched.

That commercial reality sits somewhat apart from the vendor-side claims. Even with FCC authorisation for 15,000 satellites in hand, SpaceX still has to build and launch the constellation, deploy femtocells at scale and demonstrate that 150Mb/s D2D throughput is achievable outside the lab.

The regulator also granted SpaceX one further concession with competitive significance: a waiver allowing it to offer the service through satellites without first entering into a leasing agreement with a terrestrial mobile operator. That removes the partnership structure which underpins T-Mobile's current Starlink-based offering, and clears SpaceX to go to market independently.

For AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US, the combination of 15,000 authorised satellites, a no-lease waiver and a 150Mb/s target marks the moment satellite-based competition in the US mobile market moves from concept to licensed plan. For the FCC, the harder test may be the telemetry-band dispute, where launch cadence and flight-test safety now rest on the same block of spectrum.