FCC Waives Deadline for Amazon's Satellite Broadband Deployment

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has waived a requirement for Amazon to launch half of its satellite broadband constellation by the end of July 2026. This decision allows Amazon more time to deploy its spacecraft. Amazon received regulatory approval for the Amazon Leo network in July 2020, which included two key deadlines: launching half of its 3,232 satellites by July 30, 2026, and deploying all first-generation satellites by July 30, 2029. Amazon had indicated it would not meet the initial deadline and requested an extension to July 2028 or a waiver. The FCC opted to remove the time limit for the 50 percent deployment milestone while maintaining the July 2029 deadline for the entire constellation.