FCC Grants Amazon Flexibility on LEO Satellite Rollout
The FCC has granted Amazon a limited waiver with conditions in meeting space station milestone deployment requirements for the Amazon Leo Gen1 Constellation.
The agency says “Amazon Leo is poised to offer cutting edge satellite services worldwide as a new competitor-at-scale in low-Earth orbit that offers high-speed broadband to customers in unserved and underserved areas. In resolving this issue of novel complexity during a unique period when the Commission’s deployment milestone rules remain under review for fundamental change, we craft a remedy tailored to ensure that Americans quickly benefit from multiple, facilities-based providers of next-gen satellite services.”
Amazon Leo is required to deploy 1,616 satellites by July 30, 2026, and deploy 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2029. On January 30, 2026, Amazon Leo asked to modify its Gen1 Authorization, seeking to extend the 50 percent milestone deployment deadline by 24 months, or in the alternative, requesting a waiver of this interim milestone requirement, Inside Towers reported. At the time, Amazon Leo reported that it had launched 180 satellites and estimated that it would have deployed approximately 700 satellites by July 30, 2026. Amazon Leo has launched only 331 satellites so far.
Amazon Leo seeks an extension of the requirement to launch at least 50 percent of its authorized satellites, or 1,616 Gen1 satellites, by July 30, 2028, or alternatively, requests that the Commission waive section 25.164(b)(1) to retain authorization to launch and operate any undeployed satellites by the July 30, 2026 milestone date.
Amazon Leo cites several factors contributing to the delays in deployment in support of its requests. It argues that launch provider delays and shortages of launch availability have caused significant backlogs and extended its planned deployment timelines. The company says many of its planned launches were further delayed due to a variety of factors that were outside of its control, including weather, technical problems, prioritization of government launches, and other range and launch issues.
The company says it won’t meet the 50 percent milestone. The Commission’s rules state that failure to meet an applicable space station milestone will result in the termination of authority for the space stations not in orbit as of the milestone date. Under this waiver, the Space Bureau will not cap Amazon Leo’s authority to deploy the remaining Gen1 system satellites at the number of satellites launched and operational as of its July 30, 2026 interim milestone. The FCC clarified this waiver is limited only to the interim milestone requirement.
Amazon Leo told the agency that it plans to meet the 100 percent deployment milestone by the July 30, 2029 deadline. If the company fails to do that, the total number of Amazon Leo’s authorized satellites will drop to the total number of satellites that are operational on that date.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
