The Hive Group Releases White Paper on the FCC Upper C-Ba...

The Hive Group has published a new white paper, No Safe Harbor: Why the FCC's Upper C-Band Auction Demands Early Action from Broadcasters ahead of NAB Show 2026. The paper examines the implications of the FCC's planned auction of upper C-band spectrum and sets out what broadcasters need to consider now.

The FCC has scheduled an auction of between 100 and 180 MHz of upper C-band spectrum by July 2027. Unlike the 2020 reallocation, which left some C-band capacity intact, this auction would eliminate the remaining spectrum available to broadcasters, removing the option to stay on satellite without a significant infrastructure change.

For broadcasters that have relied on C-band for decades, this is a more complex problem than the last transition. There is no direct like-for-like replacement. Alternatives-including Ku-band, managed IP, and hybrid IP delivery each involve trade-offs in cost, complexity, and coverage. The white paper evaluates these options and makes clear that no single model fully replicates what C-band has provided in terms of reliability, reach, and economics.

The industry is facing a structural shift, not a routine spectrum reallocation, said Lorenzo Zanni, Lead Data Analyst, The Hive Group. There is no safe harbor this time. Broadcasters that delay preparation will find themselves making high-stakes decisions under compressed timelines, with limited leverage. The window to act strategically is now.

The report identifies several practical challenges broadcasters should prepare for:

Greater operational risk for live and time-sensitive content during the transition period

Substantial equipment and infrastructure upgrades required across affiliate networks

Less predictable cost structures as broadcasters move to IP-based and hybrid delivery

Disproportionate burden on smaller broadcasters and local stations with limited resources to adapt

The white paper recommends that broadcasters begin now, starting with infrastructure audits, evaluating alternative delivery models, and engaging vendors early to allow enough lead time for informed decision-making.

Breakfast Event at NAB Show 2026

Alongside the white paper launch, The Hive Group will host The Future of Satellite Replacement executive breakfast on Tuesday, April 21, from 7:30 to 9:30am at The Renaissance Hotel, Las Vegas during NAB Show 2026. The session is designed as an open industry forum bringing together senior leaders from broadcasters, satellite operators, IP transport providers, telcos, and cloud platforms to discuss the practical realities of moving away from C-band.

Topics under discussion will include how broadcasters are managing continued C-band spectrum loss, the operational and economic implications of shrinking satellite capacity, the role of IP terrestrial delivery, fiber, and cloud infrastructure, and what resiliency and redundancy look like in IP-based architectures.

Confirmed speakers:

Brad Cheney, VP, Field Operations & Engineering, FOX Sports

Kenelm Deen, Director, B2B Distribution Solutions, Synamedia

Thomas Edwards, Principal Solutions Architect, AWS

Ken Fuller, Vice President, Distribution & Technology, Paramount/CBS

Alastair Hamilton, SVP, Distribution Engineering & Architecture, Fox Corporation

David Johnson, Senior Vice President, Technology, The Walt Disney Company

G Morgan, Executive Vice President of Sales, Globecast

Michelle Munson, CEO, Eluvio

Alan Young, VP, Strategic Business Development, Zixi

Rick Young, SVP, Head of Global Products, LTN

Deepak Mathur, President, Media, SES Satellites

Rick Gibson, VP, Vyvx Solutions, Lumen

The event is made possible with support from Amagi, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Eluvio, Globecast, LTN, Lumen, SES, Synamedia, and Zixi.

Register for the breakfast event and download the white paper at https://wearehivegroup.com/future-of-satellite-replacement.

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