Legislation now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Eric Schmitt celebrated the House of Representatives vote to pass their bipartisan Launch Communications Act, which will modernize the current Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) process for licensing spectrum for commercial space launches to help the U.S. remain the global leader in space exploration. Last November, the Senate unanimously passed the Launch Communications Act, and now the bill heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
“We can’t lead space innovation with outdated processes and regulations holding us back,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bipartisan Launch Communications Act cuts the red tape. And now it’s heading to President Biden’s desk.”
“It is encouraging to see the House of Representatives pass my Launch Communications Act. I will continue to advocate for common sense legislation that reforms and modernizes outdated government processes. As Ranking Member of the Space and Science Subcommittee on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, I have made it a priority to make it easier, not harder, for the commercial space industry to continue to innovate. America must maintain its edge in our 21st-Century space race against China, and this bill is an essential step in maintaining American space dominance. I look forward to the President signing this important legislation,” said Schmitt.
The FCC’s current process for licensing spectrum for commercial space launches was created decades ago when there were very few commercial space launches. The FCC’s licensing rules have not kept pace with the growing demand for commercial space launches that support scientific, economic, and national security objectives.
Specifically, the Launch Communications Act will resolve current challenges in the FCC’s licensing process by:
- Requiring the FCC to allocate temporary spectrum access for commercial space launch and reentry activities on a secondary basis within the following frequency bands if approved:
- 2025-2210 MHz, 2200-2290 MHz, 2360-2395 MHz.
- Allowing launch providers to bundle spectrum applications for multiple similar launches in order to streamline the application process and decrease the administrative burden on providers and the FCC.
- Instructing the FCC to create an automated process to review applications instead of the current manual review process which has resulted in a ground stop of critical space launches in past cases of government shutdowns when applications cannot be processed.
- Requiring the FCC to issue new regulations to improve coordination with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to speed up the authorization process.
The Launch Communications Act is supported by Blue Origin and The United Launch Alliance, both of which have a presence in Colorado, in addition to SpaceX.
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