Wireless Roundup (September 2026)

August 31, 2026

Key Wireless Deadlines
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Cyber Corner
Other Wireless Developments

Key Wireless Deadlines

FCC Proposes to Ban Importation of Certain Covered UAS and Components: On July 21, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) issued a Public Notice proposing to ban the importation and marketing of “military-grade” foreign-produced uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS critical components on the Covered List (“Military-Grade UAS PN”). The seven categories of prohibited military-grade UAS and components includes UAS that weigh 55 pounds or more on takeoff, UAS capable of dispensing “economic poison” under FAA regulations, UAS that contain or integrate sensors capable of thermal imaging or LiDAR, UAS docking stations, and swarming UAS, among others. On August 10, the FCC issued a Public Notice proposing to ban the importation and marketing of certain Anzu equipment on the grounds that it was produced by an entity with a technology sharing or licensing agreement with an entity named in Section 1709 of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (“Anzu PN”). This proposal follows a similar Public Notice adopted on July 17 proposing to ban the import and marketing of several companies’ products on the grounds that they are white-labeled versions of equipment produced by Section 1709 entities. Comments on the Military-Grade UAS PN are due September 2; comments on the Anzu PN are due September 23.

Commission Seeks Comment on Bidding Procedures for Upper C-Band Auction: On July 24, the FCC released a Public Notice calling for public comment on the proposed competitive bidding procedures for the Upper C-Band auction scheduled to begin in April 2027. Authorized by the Commission at its July 22 Open Meeting, the auction will accept competitive bids for 3,248 new flexible-use licenses in the 3.98-4.14 GHz band. Reply Comments are due September 8.

FCC Proposes to Further Expand Covered List Prohibitions, Establish Sunset Dates for Equipment Authorizations: On July 23, the FCC released a Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) that proposes, among other things, to prohibit authorization of any device that incorporates any component produced by a Covered List entity. The FNPRM also proposes a wide range of changes to the equipment authorization rules, including creating term limits for equipment authorizations, establishing a registration process for devices authorized under a Suppliers Declaration of Conformity (SDoC), requiring the submission of bills of materials for all equipment authorizations, and requiring all devices in any Covered List sector to obtain equipment authorization through certification rather than SDoC. Comments are due September 8. Pursuant to an extension, reply Comments are due September 28. More details are available in this Wiley client alert.

Commission Invites Comment on Expanding Spectrum Access for Space Launch and Reentry Operations: On August 25, the FCC released a Public Notice calling for suggestions from the public on how the Commission can improve access to spectrum for commercial space launch and reentry operations. The Public Notice also called for specific comments on a petition from the Commercial Space Federation to update spectrum sharing processes for non-federal aeronautical mobile telemetry operations and adopt new sharing mechanisms in the 1435-1535 MHz, 2360-2395 MHz, and 5091-5150 MHz bands. Comments are due September 14. Reply Comments are due September 24.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

• FCC Open Meeting: The next FCC Open Meeting is scheduled for September 30. Meeting details can be found here. The tentative agenda will be posted approximately three weeks prior to the meeting.
• FirstNet Authority Combined Board and Board Committees Meeting: On September 15, the FirstNet Authority Board (Board) will hold an open public meeting of the Board and Board Committees. More information can be found here.
• FCC Maritime, Aeronautical and Radar Services Informal Working Group Meeting: On September 15, the FCC will hold a meeting for Informal Working Group 1: Maritime, Aeronautical and Radar Services. More information can be found here.
• FCC Mobile and Fixed Services Informal Working Group Meeting: On September 15, the FCC will hold a meeting for Informal Working Group 2: Mobile and Fixed Services. More information can be found here.
• FCC Mobile Satellite and Space Science Services Informal Working Group Meeting: On September 16, the FCC will hold a meeting for Informal Working Group 4: Mobile Satellite and Space Science Services. More information can be found here.
• FCC Fixed-Satellite Service and Regulatory Matters Informal Working Group Meeting: On September 16, the FCC will hold a meeting for Informal Working Group 3: Fixed-Satellite Service and Regulatory Matters. More information can be found here.
• FCC CPAAC Open Meeting: The Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee (CPAAC) will hold an in-person meeting on September 16 in the FCC’s Commission Meeting Room. Meeting details can be found here.
• Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council X Meeting: On September 23, the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council will meet in the FCC’s Commission Meeting Room. Meeting details can be found here.
• WRC Advisory Committee - Sixth Meeting: The sixth meeting of the World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (WRC Advisory Committee) will be held on September 25. More information can be found here.

Cyber Corner

• NCCoE Transit CSF Community Profile Webinar: On September 1, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) will host a webinar on the final Transit Cybersecurity Framework (CFS) Community Profile. More information can be found here.
• NIST to Host Federal Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Forum: NIST will host the Federal Cybersecurity and Privacy Professionals Forum virtually on September 1. Additional information is available here.

Other Wireless Developments

Commission Narrows Prohibition on Foreign-Produced Power Inverters: On August 20, the FCC issued a Public Notice narrowing the class of foreign-produced power inverters added to the Covered List. In a follow-up to its original July 28 Public Notice, the FCC limited the prohibition to power inverters intended for use in parallel with an electric utility to supply common loads and sometimes deliver power to the utility. The FCC’s action also exempted power inverters that qualify for the Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit in 26 U.S.C. § 45X for domestic production and clarified that power inverters with either wired or wireless communications components were added to the Covered List. More details are available in this Wiley client alert.