The FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau cleared spectrum deals handing EchoStar airwaves to both AT&T and Starlink, overriding rural carrier objections in the process. FCC chair Carr announced the decisions and credited President Trump.
What does AT&T actually get? Mid-band 3.45 GHz frequencies it’s already deploying under special pre-close authority, granted by the FCC while the sale is pending, to boost network capacity, plus low-band spectrum that transfers after the deal closes in mid-2026. The purchase continues what the Rural Wireless Association calls “a troubling pattern of spectrum aggregation,” deepening AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile’s lock on spectrum in markets where smaller carriers say they can’t compete for licenses.
Starlink’s deal is different in structure. It’s not a wireless carrier, but the Direct-to-Device market is exactly where it wants to be: low-Earth-orbit satellites connecting standard smartphones without a ground carrier in the loop. EchoStar spectrum gives SpaceX the licensed position it needs to compete in that category.
The Rural Wireless Association said the bureau “erroneously asserts” competitive harm is unlikely while dismissing concrete harms identified by rural wireless carriers, including reduced access to rural spectrum and fewer entry opportunities for rural and regional wireless providers. The association noted secondary deals from EchoStar could still deliver some spectrum to smaller carriers, though those deals don’t exist yet.
AT&T closes in mid-2026. Whether rural operators can negotiate anything from EchoStar before that window shuts is the question the bureau declined to answer.
Diana Kowalski