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FCC approval is required to communicate with a (US-based) satellite in space, so effectively they can apply rules like this one. It's less of a power grab/nefarious plot and more a utilitarian kind of thing - the FCC has historically been the only agency that has authority to exert this pressure, so the work falls on them. It's admittedly odd that it's not the FAA or Space Force, but that's how it is.

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If one were to launch satellites over the United States that communicate with transponders set up in Mexico, the Caribbean, Greenland, and Canada, would that be outside scope of the FCC's jurisdiction?

In general those countries have their own rules that while different amount to the same with different details. The smaller countries generally copy what the US does (or possibly what the EU does).

While you might be able to find a country to let you pick your own rules, you will only be able to talk to your satellite which means you can't do much with it. Most satellite are used for communicating to people on the ground and if you can't communicate to the US the satellite is much less valuable.

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