--- title: "AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile ask the FCC to cut 290 MHz from SpaceX's satellite plan before the October 29 vote" description: "The FCC votes October 29 on opening 482 MHz of carrier spectrum to satellite-to-phone service, and AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon want 290 MHz of it stripped before SpaceX can use it. The trade is priced off a draft that has not passed." publisher: "The Inference" section: "Robotics & Defense" published: 2026-10-24T15:21:01.518Z modified: 2026-10-24T15:21:01.518Z canonical: https://theinference.org/article/at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-ask-the-fcc-to-cut-290-mhz-from-spacex-s-satellite-plan-before-the-october-29-vote language: en keywords: "SpaceX, Starlink, Spectrum, FCC, Telecom, AT&T" --- # AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile ask the FCC to cut 290 MHz from SpaceX's satellite plan before the October 29 vote > The FCC votes October 29 on opening 482 MHz of carrier spectrum to satellite-to-phone service, and AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon want 290 MHz of it stripped before SpaceX can use it. The trade is priced off a draft that has not passed. The vote is five days out. On October 29 the Federal Communications Commission decides whether [to open 482 megahertz of carrier spectrum to satellite-to-phone service](https://theinference.org/article/fcc-lets-starlink-sell-phone-service-without-carriers-bofa-says-a-10-shift-costs-apple-6-billion), growing the eligible bands from five to thirteen [1][3]. On October 22, [AT&T](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/at-and-t), [Verizon](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/verizon) and T-Mobile [answered through their trade group CTIA](https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/att-tmobile-verizon-fcc-satellite-phone-rules/): strip out the 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz bands, 290 MHz of the 482, before the draft comes to a vote. [1][3] ## Carriers want their workhorse bands left alone The ask is not subtle. Those two bands carry time-division 5G, where phones and towers share the same frequencies in tight sequence, and CTIA says more than 300 million users depend on them [2][3]. [T-Mobile](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/t-mobile-us) sits in 2.5 GHz, AT&T in 3.45 GHz; [the filing calls](https://teslanorth.com/2026/10/23/carriers-fcc-starlink-mobile-5g-bands/) the satellite plan "technically unworkable [2][3]." CTIA, run by former FCC chairman Ajit Pai, met Chairman Carr's office on October 20, and Pai filed separately asking the FCC to keep satellites out of the "workhorse" bands. [2][3] The second ask cuts closer to the money: keep satellite use of carrier spectrum on carrier-consented leases, with carriers keeping consent, control and termination rights. The draft would swap that lease requirement for coexistence agreements. [1][2] ## The market is pricing a carrier that does not exist yet Because [SpaceX](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/spacex) is assembling a fourth carrier: [an $8 billion deal for Grain Management's nationwide 800 MHz](https://www.pcmag.com/news/att-t-mobile-verizon-fight-fcc-satellite-proposal-that-helps-spacex) agreed October 9 (the day AT&T fell 9.81% and [Verizon](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/verizon) had its worst session since 2002), FCC approval of the Tristar [AWS](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/amazon)-3 purchase and 15,000 direct-to-cell satellites, and [reported talks for 80,000 cell sites](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/spacex-wants-half-america-cell-200718656.html), about half the purpose-built towers in America [1][3][4][5]. On October 23, AT&T slid 7.96%, T-Mobile 7.71%, while tower owner [Crown Castle](https://theinference.org/markets/companies/crown-castle) jumped 9.06%. [1][3][4][5] *Chart: **Carrier stocks fell twice in two weeks as the Starlink threat firmed** Column chart of one-day share moves: AT&T down 9.81% on October 9 and 7.96% on October 23, T-Mobile down 7.71% on October 23, Crown Castle up 9.06% on October 23.* *One-day share price moves, percent. Verizon's October 9 session was its worst since 2002 (no comparable figure published); Crown Castle, the tower owner, rallied as carriers slid. Sources: Drive Tesla, PCMag, Timothy Sykes News, Yahoo Finance. [1][3][4][5]* The market is pricing an unsigned threat. AT&T's 2026 EPS estimate rose to $2.40 from $2.34 after earnings, yet its forward multiple fell from 9.70x to 8.96x [5]. Earnings up, valuation down: investors are discounting competition that has not signed a lease. [5] The counterpoint is CEO John Stankey's: AT&T runs six to eight carriers of low-band spectrum in a typical metro, and a rival network is not built overnight. Fair, and the first real check arrives before the FCC even votes, with Verizon's postpaid churn on October 26. [5] *Chart: **The contested 290 MHz is most of the 482 MHz menu the FCC would hand satellites** Bars comparing SpaceX's roughly 80 MHz of spectrum, the 290 MHz of bands the carriers want stripped, and the full 482 MHz the FCC draft would open.* *Megahertz of spectrum. SpaceX's roughly 80 MHz includes pending deals such as Grain Management's 800 MHz. Sources: PCMag (SpaceX 80 MHz vs 300 MHz at each big-three carrier), Drive Tesla and TeslaNorth (FCC draft 482 MHz, carriers' ask to strip 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz). [1][2][3]* If the FCC drops the 290 MHz on October 29, Starlink Mobile loses its most usable mid-band path and part of the selloff unwinds. If the draft passes whole, SpaceX gets a 482 MHz menu and the fight moves from the docket to churn. Watch the vote, then the leases. ## Takeaway The FCC votes October 29 on opening 482 MHz of carrier spectrum to satellite-to-phone service; AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile want the 2.5 GHz and 3.45 GHz bands (290 MHz) stripped, and the market has already priced the threat into the carriers' stocks. ## Sources 1. [Drive Tesla, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Push Back on FCC Satellite-to-Phone Rule Changes, 2026-10-23](https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/att-tmobile-verizon-fcc-satellite-phone-rules/) 2. [TeslaNorth, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile Lobby FCC as Starlink Mobile Closes In, 2026-10-23](https://teslanorth.com/2026/10/23/carriers-fcc-starlink-mobile-5g-bands/) 3. [PCMag, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Fight FCC Satellite Proposal That Helps SpaceX, 2026-10-23](https://www.pcmag.com/news/att-t-mobile-verizon-fight-fcc-satellite-proposal-that-helps-spacex) 4. [Timothy Sykes News, AT&T Stock Slides As Starlink Threat And Q4 Risks Mount, 2026-10-23](https://www.timothysykes.com/news/at-t-inc-t-news-2026_10_23/) 5. [Yahoo Finance (TIKR), SpaceX Wants Half of America's Cell Towers. AT&T Is Paying the Price, 2026-10-23](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/spacex-wants-half-america-cell-200718656.html) --- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile ask the FCC to cut 290 MHz from SpaceX's satellite plan before the October 29 vote — The Inference. Canonical: https://theinference.org/article/at-t-verizon-and-t-mobile-ask-the-fcc-to-cut-290-mhz-from-spacex-s-satellite-plan-before-the-october-29-vote