Amsterdam – – September 11, 2026 -- NetActuate has moved its 2026 C-Band Transition Acceleration Program onto the NetActuate Media Substrate, a transport layer the company is introducing at IBC 2026, giving U.S. broadcasters a terrestrial path off C-band satellite ahead of a federally mandated spectrum auction.
Broadcasters get a redundant path without buying a second circuit
The program, first announced at NAB, now runs on infrastructure NetActuate already operates. A station group sends one stream and receives one stream while the company runs diverse paths beneath it. In a blackout test cited by the company, one path was taken fully dark and the merged output lost no data.
Every route is measured end to end and published in a portal
The substrate reports a real performance figure for each station group's own route, with last-mile performance tracked separately. It supports eleven transport protocols -- including SRT, RIST, UDP, MPTS, MoQ, ST 2022-7, SMPTE ST 2110, RTMP, WebRTC, WHIP and WHEP -- allowing broadcasters to keep existing encoders.
Congestion routing targets the last mile broadcasters worry about most
NetActuate said last-mile problems typically stem from congestion between a local provider and the wider internet rather than the circuit itself. The Media Substrate routes around that congestion automatically, and station groups can deploy a dedicated circuit, hand last-mile management to NetActuate, or pair a satellite link, mixing approaches across their footprint.
A 2027 auction deadline is forcing the industry's hand
The July 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act mandated a competitive bidding auction of upper C-band spectrum, 3.98 to 4.2 GHz, by July 4, 2027. The FCC voted in November 2025 to advance the rulemaking that carries the auction into effect, a move expected to eliminate remaining broadcast satellite spectrum and push contribution and primary distribution onto IP and fiber over roughly five years.
Consolidation among satellite incumbents narrows broadcaster options
The transition is unfolding as the supply side consolidates, leaving broadcasters with fewer, larger incumbents as they are pushed off satellite. NetActuate positions itself as an independent network operator rather than a satellite company or reseller.
"Every feed still on C-band needs somewhere to go before the spectrum goes, and the stations moving now get to do it on their own terms instead of against the clock,