The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) are in disagreement over the pricing and allocation of spectrum for satellite communications, threatening to delay India's satellite broadband rollout. The DoT proposes a 5% annual spectrum fee with conditional discounts for operators serving rural, border, and difficult terrains, and waivers of connection charges for qualifying urban services. Trai rejects these proposals, maintaining a 4% fee and a Rs 500 annual subscriber charge for urban users to encourage operators to focus on underserved rural areas. Trai cautions that DoT’s approach could lead operators to concentrate in profitable urban markets, undermining rural connectivity efforts. This policy deadlock threatens to delay the allocation of satellite spectrum and the entry of key providers like Elon Musk's Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb into the Indian market, potentially impacting millions awaiting improved digital access in remote areas.