The FCC has raised the deadline for the Amazon Leo satellite broadband constellation

The Federal Communications Commission has waived an order requiring Amazon to deploy half of its satellite broadband network by the end of July.

Amazon received approval to manage the Amazon Leo network in July 2020. The FCC approval came with a two-day deadline. First, Amazon had to deploy half of its 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2026, in order to retain the license to deploy the rest of the network. The regulator gave Amazon a deadline of July 30, 2029, to have all of its first-generation satellites in orbit.

It has long been clear that Amazon will not be able to meet the FCC’s demands to install half of its satellites.— 1,616 ships—at the end of next month. Amazon filed a petition in January asking the FCC to extend the deadline to July 2028 or cancel it altogether. The agency chose the latter option, removing the time limit of more than 50 percent, but keeping the July 2029 deadline for the entire constellation to be eligible.

A waiver has been granted

The FCC made public its letter on Friday signed by Jay Schwarz, head of the FCC Space Bureau. The decision was awaited. After all, Amazon is the only company that has the chance to launch a satellite broadband service to directly compete with SpaceX’s Starlink in the near future. The FCC acknowledged sparse competition in the satellite broadband sector in the letter.

“The waiver helps the public by promoting the second largest satellite network,” the FCC said. “Currently, only one operator, SpaceX, is providing broadband to American consumers from low Earth orbit.” Amazon Leo’s service promises to be ‘challenging,’ in terms of service quality and consumer affordability. Amazon Leo has also invested heavily to deliver on its promises, including more than $10 billion to operate the system and invest in infrastructure and manufacturing. “

Consideration of public interest and Amazon’s multibillion-dollar sale of Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, are among the “special circumstances” cited by the FCC in canceling this summer’s deadline.