FCC chair blasts Amazon after it criticizes SpaceX megaconstellation

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images | John McDonnell

It is fairly common for satellite companies to verbally spar over constellations, battling over territory such as preferred orbits and the electromagnetic spectrum for data transmission. The venue for such disputes is often the Federal Communications Commission, which has regulatory authority over satellite communications.

Everyone pretty much fights with everyone, but of late, the exchanges between SpaceX and Amazon have turned a bit nasty. And on Wednesday, the FCC chairman weighed in against Amazon.

The issue of the moment is SpaceX’s recent application to the FCC for permission to launch up to 1 million satellites to form a megaconstellation to provide data center services from space.

“Centuries” to deploy

Last Friday, Amazon petitioned the FCC ...