Trump pushes for echostar and FCC to settle spectrum dispute

President Donald Trump stepped in to help resolve a conflict between EchoStar Corp. and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the company’s valuable wireless spectrum licenses. On Thursday, Trump met with EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen and called FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to join them at the White House, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Trump urged both sides to find a solution, expressing concern that EchoStar, a major U.S. company, could face bankruptcy if the issue isn’t resolved. The FCC has been reviewing whether EchoStar met its obligations to provide 5G services, threatening to take back the company’s spectrum licenses if it fails to comply. Losing these licenses could hurt EchoStar’s ability to offer wireless, video, and broadband satellite services to millions of customers.

The company has already missed about $500 million in interest payments, partly due to the uncertainty caused by the FCC’s investigation. Following news of Trump’s involvement, EchoStar’s stock price jumped over 50% in after-hours trading on Friday. The company’s bonds also rose in value. Earlier, Carr had warned Ergen that EchoStar might need to sell some of its spectrum or risk losing it entirely.

SpaceX, a competitor, has pushed the FCC to reallocate EchoStar’s unused spectrum for other companies to use. Neither the White House nor EchoStar commented on the meeting, and the FCC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The outcome of the talks remains unclear, but Trump’s push highlights his desire to protect a key American business while balancing regulatory concerns.