Wireless Roundup (October 2026)

Key Wireless Deadlines

Commission Releases Proposed Cost Catalog for Upper C-Band Transition Reimbursements: On September 30, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) issued a Public Notice seeking comment on its Upper C-Band Transition Preliminary Cost Catalog. The cost catalog lists estimated ranges for relocation expenses that the Commission deems “presumptively reasonable,” as well as preliminary lump-sum amounts for incumbent earth station operators that elect lump-sum reimbursement rather than reimbursement for actual costs. Comments are due October 20. Reply Comments are due November 9.

FCC Calls for Refreshed Record on Health and Environmental Effects of RF Emissions in Remand of 2019 Order: On September 17, the FCC issued a Public Notice seeking public comment on three issues related to the D.C. Circuit’s decision in Environmental Health Trust, which “upheld the majority of the Commission’s findings, including its determination that RF exposure at levels below the current limits does not cause cancer,” but remanded three targeted issues to the FCC for further consideration: 1) the Commission’s testing procedures for determining whether cell phones and other portable electronic devices comply with radiofrequency (RF) exposure guidelines; 2) the impacts of RF emissions on children, the health implications of long-term exposure to RF emissions, the ubiquity of wireless devices, and other technological developments since the Commission issued its RF exposure guidelines in 1996; and 3) the impacts of RF emissions on the environment. The Public Notice is limited to these issues and is not soliciting general comment on RF emissions, nor is it “seeking comment here on any other aspects of the 2019 decision that were upheld in Environmental Health Trust or portions of the record that were not properly before the court.” Comments are due October 22.

Commission Proposes to Expand Direct-to-Device Communications Between Satellites and Unlicensed Devices: On August 7, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to permit unlicensed devices operating under Part 15 rules to communicate with FCC-authorized satellites. Among other proposals, the Commission would authorize Earth-to-space transmissions from Part 15 devices in the 2400-2483.5 MHz and 5725-5850 MHz bands. The NPRM also requests comment on other bands that could support Earth-to-space or space-to-Earth communications, as well as on the appropriate licensing framework for Direct-to-Device (D2D) communications. Comments are due November 9. Reply Comments are due December 7.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

• FCC Open Meeting: The next FCC Open Meeting is scheduled for October 29. Meeting details can be found here. The tentative agenda will be posted approximately three weeks prior to the meeting.
• FCC TAC Meeting: The next Technological Advisory Council (TAC) meeting will be held on October 1. More information can be found here.
• 2026 FCC Chairman’s AAA: The 2026 FCC Chairman’s Awards for Advancement in Accessibility (AAA) will be held on October 8 in the Commission Meeting Room. More information can be found here.

Cyber Corner

• CISA Releases Crisis Communications Guidance: On September 2, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance released Communicating Under Pressure: Best Practices for Service Providers, which “outlines how to prepare for effective outage communications and key elements of clear, actionable messaging.”
• CISA Publishes White Paper on CVE Program: On September 22, CISA released a white paper titled Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Program: Establishing a Quality Era Framework. The publication outlines CISA’s plans for the CVE Program, including governance, ecosystem participation, data infrastructure, and content of CVE records.
• NSA Publishes Guidance on Cyber Hygiene: On September 3, the National Security Agency (NSA) released a cybersecurity information advisory titled Best Practices Guide for Cyber Hygiene.
• NIST Releases Draft CSF Profile for Federal Agency O-RAN Deployment: On September 17, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released for comment the initial public draft of NIST Interagency or Internal Reports 8623, Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 Community Profile for Federal Agency Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Deployment. Comments are due November 2.
• NIST Releases Draft of OT Security Publication: On September 21, NIST released the initial public draft of Special Publication (SP) 800-82 Revision (Rev.) 4, Guide to Operational Technology (OT) Security, which “provides guidelines for establishing secure [OT] systems while addressing [their] unique performance, reliability, and safety requirements.” Comments are due November 30.
• GAO Issues Report on Telecommunications Supply Chain: On September 22, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released Telecommunications: Better Information Sharing Needed to Ensure Compliance with Foreign-Sourced Equipment Prohibitions, finding that the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration could better share information about Section 889 determinations with other federal agencies.
• NIST PEC Workshop 2026: The NIST Workshop on Privacy-Enhancing Cryptography (PEC) 2026 will be held on October 26-29. More information is available here.
• NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Webinar – Assessing Security Requirements for Controlled Unclassified Information: NIST will host a webinar to discuss NIST SP 800-171A, Rev. 3 on October 29. More information is available here.

Other Wireless Developments

FCC Authorizes Additional 1,000+ Megahertz of Spectrum for Space Services: On September 30, the Commission approved a Report and Order and two Further Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRMs) that will authorize satellite communications in the 12.7-13.25 GHz and 42-42.5 GHz bands. Based on an earlier draft, the FNPRMs would also free up 1,450 megahertz of spectrum in the Ku- and Ka-bands, as well as 138.25 gigahertz in the D-band to permit more intensive satellites communications. The FCC also seeks comment on permitting communications for emergent space operations in the additional frequency bands of 2360-2395 MHz, 13.25-13.4 GHz, 100-300 GHz, and other bands used for inter-satellite links. Comments and Reply Comments will be due 30 days and 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, respectively.

Commission Proposes Modernization of UWB Device Rules: On September 30, the FCC approved an NPRM to modernize the Commission’s Part 15 rules for ultra-wideband (UWB) devices. Based on an earlier draft proposal, the Commission proposes, among other things, to update technical rules based on improvements in UWB capabilities, to create a new UWB device category for an emerging class of location-sensing devices, and to reexamine the appropriateness of existing requirements for all classes of UWB devices. Comments and Reply Comments will be due 30 days and 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, respectively.