fcc / spectrum sale / echostar

The FCC approved EchoStar’s sale of spectrum licenses to AT&T ($23B) and SpaceX/Starlink ($17B), transactions totaling $40 billion after Chair Brendan Carr pushed EchoStar to divest following SpaceX’s complaint. AT&T gains mid-band (3.45 GHz) and low-band (600 MHz) licenses to bolster 5G and fixed wireless; SpaceX acquires 65 MHz across ~1.695–2.2 GHz to advance Starlink’s Direct-to-Device mobile service. The agency imposed a $2.4 billion escrow condition to compensate contractors EchoStar hired for Dish network construction, which EchoStar may legally contest. Rural carriers and the Rural Wireless Association criticized the approvals for accelerating spectrum concentration among major players and harming competition in rural markets.

The FCC approved EchoStar’s sale of spectrum licenses to SpaceX’s Starlink unit and AT&T, finalizing deals worth about $40 billion after Chairman Brendan Carr pressured EchoStar over alleged underuse. The Bureau-level orders follow Carr’s threat to revoke Dish Network-related licenses after disputes over deployment extensions granted under the prior administration. EchoStar, controlled by Charlie Ergen, agreed to sell spectrum to SpaceX for roughly $17 billion and to AT&T for roughly $23 billion. The approvals reshape U.S. wireless spectrum control, giving a major satellite internet player and a top carrier significant mid-band assets that could affect competition, network deployment and regulatory precedent.