- The SAT Streamlining Act would require the FCC to turn around satellite applications within a 1-year timeline
- Simultaneously, the FCC is taking comments on its own Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to satellite applications
- The FCC's proposed rule wants a satellite licensing "assembly line"
U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Peter Welch (D-VT) yesterday introduced The SAT Streamlining Act , which would bring reforms to the satellite approval process at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The bill states that Congress wants the U.S. to lead the world in the satellite industry, and the FCC should take action to ensure that goal.
The Senators said that the number of applications submitted to the FCC for satellites has dramatically increased, but outdated regulatory barriers are delaying the process. The SAT Streamlining Act establishes a clear, one-year deadline for the FCC to make a decision on an application.
“These changes would help expand broadband access to underserved areas and incentivize commercial satellite operators to base operations in the United States over foreign jurisdictions where satellite application processes may be less burdensome,” stated the Senators.
The legislation would also standardize market access for foreign satellite systems operating in the U.S. by capping licenses at 15 years, aligning them with the 15-year approval term applied to U.S. companies.
Cruz wrote, “I am pleased to join with Senator Welch in reintroducing this legislation and create a clear, standardized FCC review process to prevent unnecessary delays, keep commercial satellite operators under the U.S. flag, and accelerate high-speed internet deployment to unserved communities.”
Simultaneously, there’s a pending Space Modernization Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at the FCC, which is also focused on expediting satellite approvals. Comments are due on that NPRM next Tuesday.
According to one industry expert who didn’t want to be named at this time, the Cruz-Welch bill will serve as pressure on the FCC to streamline and perhaps even adopt similar shot-clock provisions in its rulemaking as what’s proposed in the Senate bill.
The FCC’s NPRM proposes a licensing "assembly line" that would expedite reviews through a modular system that routes and resolves applications based on a company’s tailored needs.
The FCC’s powers
The FCC can grant authority for companies to operate satellites over U.S. air space, and in fact, the FCC just recently authorized SpaceX’s Starlink to deploy another 7,500 LEO satellites. SpaceX will be allowed to operate across the Ku-, Ka-, V-, E- and W-band frequencies, supporting both fixed satellite service (FSS) and mobile satellite service (MSS).
Neither the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) nor the FCC currently uses an auction system for FSS or MSS spectrum. The ITU lacks the authority to hold a global auction and requires operators to obtain a license from their national regulator, as well as an authorization for market access in any nation where they operate.
“All satellite spectrum is allocated by the ITU, you know, globally for harmonization,” explained Michael Calabrese, director of the Wireless Future Program at the Open Technology Institute at New America, in a previous story for Fierce Network. “And then it's up to each country to decide who either gets a license or has market access in that country.”
In other satellite policy news, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said last week that the agency plans to build a full regulatory framework for direct-to-cell satellite connectivity.
Carr said the FCC wants to build a framework that incentivizes investment in D2C satellite connectivity, as opposed to a framework that would disincentivize investment.