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WASHINGTON, DC (June 25, 2026) — �鶹������ý’s Wireless Future Project and the International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) today released a new report, Leading on LEO Satellite Policy: U.S. Priorities for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, outlining the spectrum and regulatory priorities the United States must pursue at WRC-27 to protect American leadership in low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications. 

The report identifies five high-priority agenda items and the need for early, coordinated U.S. engagement ahead of the ITU’s treaty-level conference, set to convene in Shanghai in late 2027.

The report warns that more than 80 percent of the WRC-27 agenda directly or indirectly affects LEO satellite operators—an industry in which U.S. companies currently lead the world—and argues that the outcome of negotiations in Shanghai will have long-lasting consequences for American economic competitiveness, global market access, and democratic communications values. With China serving as host, the report notes that U.S. negotiators will face significant geopolitical headwinds and cannot afford to repeat the coordination failures that weakened the U.S. position at WRC-23.

The report examines five issues the authors identify as top U.S. priorities:

Modernizing outdated NGSO/GSO spectrum-sharing rules: The ITU’s current equivalent power-flux-density (EPFD) limits—unchanged since their adoption 25 years ago based on a satellite system that never launched commercially—waste spectrum and unnecessarily constrain the capacity and performance of LEO constellations. The report finds that updating these limits could increase satellite data capacity by up to 700 percent, reduce deployment costs, and generate enormous economic benefits, while imposing negligible costs on incumbent geostationary operators.

Expanding millimeter-wave gateway spectrum: Three WRC-27 agenda items (1.3, 1.10, and 1.18) would open 11,000 megahertz of V- and E-band spectrum to NGSO gateway Earth stations—the satellite equivalent of middle-mile fiber. The report calls for strong U.S. support to meet rapidly growing demand for satellite backhaul capacity.

Opposing authoritarian control over satellite communications: Agenda Item 1.5, advanced by Russia and Iran, would establish regulatory mechanisms that could allow governments to prohibit satellite transmissions over their territory. The report argues the proposal risks turning the ITU into a vehicle for censorship and information control and should be firmly opposed.

Supporting satellite direct-to-device services: Agenda Items 1.13 and 1.14 would create international frameworks for satellites to connect directly to smartphones and other devices without requiring terrestrial infrastructure. The report urges the United States to support both items while opposing technical restrictions so conservative that they would effectively nullify the services.

Early preparation and coalition-building: The report calls on the United States to appoint its WRC-27 delegation head early; settle on strong, unified domestic positions; and build regional consensus through CITEL, the Americas regional bloc, long before the conference begins.

“The rules governing satellite spectrum were built for a world that no longer exists. The EPFD limits at the center of the current framework were adopted a quarter-century ago to protect a system that never even launched commercially, and they continue to waste spectrum and constrain the LEO constellations that American companies have built into a global lead. Modernizing them is the single highest-value step available at WRC-27, and the economics are not close. The United States should arrive in Shanghai with a plan to modernize these rules, not a posture of defending an indefensible status quo,” said co-author Kristian Stout, Director of Innovation Policy at ICLE.

“Next year’s WRC in Shanghai is remarkable for its focus on satellite and space issues. More than 80 percent of the agenda will impact the low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite industry that America leads,” said co-author Michael Calabrese, Director of Wireless Future at �鶹������ý.

“The global assembly will set rules that could determine whether U.S. operators have the market access, spectrum access, and operational capability to scale, reduce costs, and innovate robust services for consumers at home and worldwide,” Calabrese said, adding: “The U.S. delegation will need to prioritize a few key satellite issues to achieve outcomes consistent with U.S. economic interests, technological leadership, and broader policy values. It is crucial that the United States prioritize satellite issues, settle early on strong positions, and engage actively in regional and then global coalition-building before WRC-27 convenes.” 

The report builds on the joint LEO Satellite Policy Working Group that �鶹������ý and ICLE co-convened throughout 2025, which produced the October 2025 report Low Earth Orbit Satellites: Policies to Promote Spectrum Sharing, Foster Competition, and Close Digital Divides.