October 12, 2026: FCC approves SpaceX’s D2D constellation, Lumos to acquire ALLO Fiber assets

We'll start with a significant FCC decision involving SpaceX.

The commission authorized the company to deploy and operate a new constellation of fifteen thousand satellites designed to communicate directly with mobile devices.

SpaceX's planned system is separate from the company's familiar satellite home broadband network and represents a substantial expansion of its direct-to-device ambitions.

The new satellites would operate in nine orbital shells just three hundred and twenty-six to three hundred and thirty-five kilometers above Earth, much lower than the main Starlink broadband constellation.

The authorization covers direct-to-device service using mobile satellite spectrum and supplemental coverage from space.

Some requests were deferred, and the use of certain spectrum being acquired from EchoStar remains subject to conditions, including completion of the spectrum transfer.

This will be a long-term build-out.

Under the FCC's schedule, SpaceX must deploy at least half of the authorized constellation by October twenty thirty-two and complete it by October twenty thirty-five.

The decision gives SpaceX a regulatory path to much greater satellite-to-phone capacity.

SpaceX also made news last week with a different approach to selling Starlink connectivity.

The company is seeking community hosts who would install Starlink equipment and sell short-term internet passes to people nearby.

The proposed model offers hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly passes.

The first three options cover one device, while the monthly option can cover as many as four.

Starlink would manage payments, user access, and connectivity, and hosts would handle installation and earn revenue from connections.

There are no prices listed on the Starlink site yet, and the program's broader launch remains uncertain.

Still, the idea is notable for rural markets.

Rather than requiring every household to buy its own kit and subscription, Starlink is exploring pay-as-you-go access through local hosts.