The FCC has granted SpaceX's application to operate a constellation of satellites at lower Earth orbit than the FCC previously authorized.
The commission in November 2018 approved SpaceX's application to deploy constellations of non-geostationary orbit constellations of satellites to deploy and operate a worldwide broadband delivery service.
Google was a big investor in SpaceX, presumably to get in on the satellite broadband play.
The FCC denied various petitions by competitors to deny SpaceX's request for modification of its application.
SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. In February 2018, FCC chair Ajit Pai recommended to the other commissioners that they approve the application by SpaceX to launch a global, satellite-delivered broadband service.
Pai said the country would need innovative approaches like SpaceX's and others, to bridge the digital divide, a key FCC priority, and to provide broadband competition, another FCC goal.
