SpaceX Petitions FCC to Block Viasat-3 F2 Satellite Over Starlink Interference Concerns

SpaceX petitioned the Federal Communications Commission on August 31, 2026, to block Viasat from gaining U.S. market access for its Viasat-3 F2 satellite over radio interference concerns, according to regulatory filings reported by Data Center Dynamics and PCMag. The challenge escalates an ongoing dispute between low-Earth-orbit broadband providers and incumbent geostationary operators over shared radio frequency bands.

SpaceX Cites Starlink Interference Risks from Viasat-3 F2

In a 25-page petition filed with the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX urged regulators to reconsider a late July decision that cleared the Viasat-3 F2 satellite for U.S. market access, according to PCMag. The high-orbiting geostationary satellite, positioned over 22,000 miles away, is scheduled to enter service next month to deliver internet speeds exceeding 100 Mbps to customers across the Americas, as reported by PCMag.

David Goldman, SpaceX’s vice president of satellite policy, wrote in the filing that Viasat failed to reach a coordination agreement to prevent radio interference between Starlink and the F2 satellite. Viasat’s utter disregard for Commission rules, its license conditions, and the harm it is causing to millions of American consumers has gone on for far too long, SpaceX claimed in the document, as cited by PCMag.

According to PCMag, the dispute centers on the 18.8 to 19.3GHz and 28.6 to 29.1GHz spectrum bands. While Starlink has long been authorized to use these bands for space-to-Earth and Earth-to-space transmissions, Viasat plans to use the spectrum for downloading and uploading data on the F2 satellite. Goldman stated that Viasat’s own analysis indicates the F2 satellite threatens to cause downlink interference to American consumers using Starlink approximately one-third of the time.

Regulatory Conditions and Equivalent Power Flux-Density Limits

When the Federal Communications Commission cleared the F2 satellite for U.S. market access in late July, the authorization included a condition that Viasat must reach a coordination agreement with low-Earth-orbit satellite providers to prevent harmful radio interference, according to PCMag. The commission’s grant explicitly notes that Viasat must refrain from commencing or must cease operations in the United States within the 18.8–19.3 GHz and 28.6–29.1 GHz bands until compliance is notified.

SatNews reported that SpaceX’s technical submission to the FCC Space Bureau urged commissioners to apply rigorous interference modeling and enforce Equivalent Power Flux-Density limits before granting final operational licenses. SpaceX requested that the commission condition any authorization on Viasat maintaining strict signal power caps across shared frequencies, implementing physical slant-angle masking to prevent spot beams from illuminating active Starlink user terminals, and embedding automatic cease-operation provisions into the license, according to SatNews.

Goldman noted in the filing, as reported by PCMag: Viasat’s license conditions prohibit it from operating its legacy technology in spectrum bands that are designated as primary for next-generation satellite systems, unless and until it secures a coordination agreement from each next-generation satellite operator in the bands or can provide a technical demonstration to the Commission. Goldman added that Viasat has failed and refused to coordinate with SpaceX for years.

Broadband Competition and Broader Industry Opposition

The regulatory filing arrives as low-Earth-orbit broadband providers capture market share from legacy geostationary consumer internet services while Viasat has experienced customer losses to Starlink, according to PCMag. SpaceX currently manages an active constellation of more than 7,000 satellites while expanding its second-generation footprint, according to SatNews data.

SpaceX is not alone in raising regulatory objections to Viasat’s deployment. According to PCMag, Amazon has repeatedly flagged similar coordination issues with the Federal Communications Commission regarding its own developing Leo satellite internet service. As Amazon has explained in prior filings, the technical analysis proffered by Viasat in connection with its still-pending application falls far short of demonstrating that it will protect the Amazon Leo system or the other NGSO FSS operations in the NGSO Primary Bands, Amazon wrote in a November filing noted by PCMag.

The escalating challenges highlight structural friction between legacy radio frequency rules established by the International Telecommunication Union and modern beamforming capabilities deployed by low-Earth-orbit megaconstellations, as detailed by SatNews. California-based Viasat did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PCMag regarding the petition.