Carr Thanks Ergen, Credits Trump for EchoStar Spectrum Sales
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr thanked EchoStar and Chairman Charlie Ergen on Tuesday for addressing the FCC’s concerns in a series of spectrum deals announced in recent weeks. EchoStar officials said Monday that selling the spectrum wasn’t their first choice (see 2509150003). “There were a lot of questions raised, including by us in May, about whether they met their buildout obligations,” Carr said at a Politico event (see 2509160040). “We had a lot of good discussions with them.”
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EchoStar “moved a significant chunk of spectrum to AT&T, which can be lit up basically immediately if that transaction does close,” Carr said. “Similarly, we got 50 MHz of spectrum going to Starlink … which puts it in use sooner than it otherwise” would have been. The White House was involved, and the deals may not have happened without a push from President Donald Trump, he added.