[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 25, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3928-H3929]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LAUNCH COMMUNICATIONS ACT
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 682) to facilitate access to electromagnetic spectrum for
commercial space launches and commercial space reentries, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 682
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Launch Communications Act''.
SEC. 2. ACCESS TO SPECTRUM FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCHES AND
REENTRIES.
(a) Service Rules; Allocation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall complete any
proceeding in effect as of such date of enactment related to
the adoption of service rules for access to the frequencies
described in subsection (c) for commercial space launches and
commercial space reentries, including technical
specifications, eligibility requirements, coordination
procedures to preserve the Nation's defense capabilities, and
the allocation on a secondary basis of the frequencies
described in subsection (c).
(2) Coordination with national telecommunications and
information administration.--The coordination procedures
adopted under paragraph (1) shall include requirements for
persons conducting commercial space launches and commercial
space reentries to coordinate with the Assistant Secretary
regarding access to the frequencies described in subsection
(c) for commercial space launches and commercial space
reentries.
(b) Streamlining of Process for Granting Authorizations.--
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Commission shall issue new regulations to
streamline the process for granting authorizations for access
to the frequencies described in subsection (c) for commercial
space launches and commercial space reentries so as to
provide for--
(1) authorizations that include access to such frequencies
for multiple commercial space launches from one or more
Federal space launch sites and multiple commercial space
reentries to one or more Federal space launch sites;
(2) authorizations that include access to such frequencies
for multiple commercial space launches from one or more
private space launch sites and multiple commercial space
reentries to one or more private space launch sites;
(3) authorizations that include access to multiple uses of
such frequencies for commercial space launch or commercial
space reentry;
(4) automation of the processes of the Commission to review
applications for authorizations for access to such
frequencies for commercial space launches and commercial
space reentries; and
(5) improved coordination by the Commission with the
Assistant Secretary (who shall coordinate with the heads of
such other Federal agencies as the Assistant Secretary
considers appropriate) to increase the speed of review of
applications for authorizations for access to such
frequencies for commercial space launches and commercial
space reentries.
(c) Frequencies Described.--The frequencies described in
this subsection are the frequencies between 2025 and 2110
megahertz, between 2200 and 2290 megahertz, between 2360 and
2395 megahertz, and between 5650 and 5925 megahertz.
(d) Rules of Construction.--
(1) Frequency ranges.--Each range of frequencies described
in this section shall be construed to be inclusive of the
upper and lower frequencies in the range.
(2) Special temporary authority.--Nothing in this section
may be construed to authorize or require elimination or
limitation of, or any amendment to, or otherwise to affect,
special temporary authority, as provided for by section 1.931
of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor
regulation).
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications
and Information.
(2) Commercial space launch.--The term ``commercial space
launch'' means a launch licensed under chapter 509 of title
51, United States Code.
(3) Commercial space reentry.--The term ``commercial space
reentry'' means a reentry licensed under chapter 509 of title
51, United States Code.
(4) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Latta) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
General Leave
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 682, the Launch Communications
Act led by the gentlemen from Florida's Second and Ninth Districts.
Over the last decade, the American commercial space industry has
dramatically reduced the cost to enter space, revolutionizing the
industry. Investment has increased, and innovation has flourished. The
number of commercial space launches has increased dramatically.
Unfortunately, our Federal processes have not kept pace.
To launch satellites into orbit, launch providers need access to
certain radio frequencies, known as spectrum, which requires
coordination between several Federal agencies.
H.R. 682 will take important steps to streamline the process for
commercial space launch providers to gain access to the frequencies
they need when they need them and ensure that a lack of coordination
between Federal agencies does not hamper the thriving commercial space
economy.
No space launch should be threatened because approval for their
spectrum access is caught up in bureaucratic delay.
This legislation would provide more certainty to commercial satellite
operators that when they make the investment in satellite technologies,
they will be able to launch them into space.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 682, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 682, the Launch
Communications Act.
Over the last decade, we have seen the costs of exploring space drop
drastically. As a result, space launches in this country have increased
dramatically. In 2013, the FAA authorized eight launches, but by 2022,
less than a decade later, the number was 79. The number of space
launches from the United States is only expected to increase in the
years to come. We must foster and support this growth in order to
enhance our national security capabilities and cement our Nation as a
global leader in space and other cutting-edge technologies.
Transporting satellites to space cannot happen without launch
entities having reliable access to electromagnetic spectrum. Right now
the FCC only temporarily allocates spectrum for space launches.
Nevertheless, this process is becoming increasingly burdensome given
rise in the number of space launches occurring in our country. For the
United States to continue its leadership in space, it is imperative
that the FCC develop an efficient and effective process to license
spectrum for commercial space launches, as well as the space reentries
that inevitably must follow.
Now, H.R. 682 addresses these challenges. Specifically, this bill
requires the FCC to streamline its process for allocating spectrum
usage rights to commercial space launch providers. These efforts will
better support these providers as they communicate with their launch
vehicles during flight and upon reentry. The bill also directs the FCC
to complete a rulemaking proceeding to adopt service rules for the
spectrum bands identified in the bill for commercial space launches and
commercial space reentries.
Mr. Speaker, I commend Representatives Soto and Dunn for their
bipartisan work on this bill. This important bill helps secure
America's leadership in the commercial space industry by strengthening
our country's position as a prime destination for launching satellites
into space.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation in a
bipartisan
[[Page H3929]]
manner, I look forward to its consideration in the Senate, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from the
Second District of Florida (Mr. Dunn), who is the sponsor of the
legislation.
Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that the United States
continues to lead in satellite communications technology and space
exploration to ensure our global competitiveness.
In today's world, indispensable spectrum resources know no borders or
boundaries, and they must be used to enhance space and satellite
operations, provide broadband access to our fellow Americans, and
enhance America's security capability.
As our private-sector partners continue to innovate, the Federal
Government can play a collaborative role through the modernization of
the launch spectrum licensing process.
This is why I joined my esteemed colleague from Florida (Mr. Soto) in
reintroducing the Launch Communications Act. This updates and
simplifies an outdated regulatory process so the U.S. can maintain our
competitiveness in space exploration.
Currently, commercial missions launching from the United States to
space must use government-owned spectrum to communicate with the
rockets during launch and reentry.
Additionally, these private companies must apply to the FCC who must
then coordinate with the NTIA to receive special temporary authority to
use such spectrum each time they launch.
The Launch Communications Act will lift the burden of obtaining many
authorizations and enable the private companies to temporarily use
certain spectrum bands for satellite launches when needed.
On multiple occasions this legislation requires the FCC to streamline
the launch authorization process for commercial launches, eliminating
the special temporary authority process, permitting multilaunch
authorizations, and automating the frequency review process.
This is consistent with Space Policy Directive-2 issued by President
Trump in May of 2018 to refine Federal spectrum regulations and
minimize regulatory burdens.
{time} 1800
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Soto), the Democratic sponsor of this bill and a graduate
of Rutgers University.
Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 682, the
Launch Communications Act.
In central Florida, the busiest spaceport in the world is right in
our backyard in Cape Canaveral. We had a record year of 57 launches
from the cape in 2022, and we are expecting a total of 87 launches or
more this year, so quite often we see 2 or more in a single week.
When we see bad weather, as you can imagine, some of these launches
start to stack up, which is why having a lengthy FCC license process
for each launch can be cumbersome and costly.
That is why I introduced this bill with my colleague and fellow
Floridian, Dr. Dunn, to streamline the process and ensure our
spaceports continue to be the most efficient in the world.
The Launch Communications Act allocates certain spectrum for
commercial launches and reentries. It streamlines the process for
authorization to said spectrum while also keeping it available to other
users and ensuring coordination to prevent any interference with
government systems.
As we continue to break launch records year after year, we need to
streamline these processes to continue to ensure that America remains
the world leader in space. This bill does exactly that.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce
Committee, Chair Latta, Chair McMorris Rodgers, Ranking Member Pallone,
Ranking Member Matsui, and, of course, my fellow Floridian, Dr. Dunn,
for passing this bill out of committee unanimously.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Launch
Communications Act.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill coming out of the
Energy and Commerce Committee. I urge support for this very important
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, this legislation would provide more certainty
to our commercial satellite operators so that when they make the
investment in satellite technologies, they will be able to launch them
into space.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 682, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fulcher). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta) that the House suspend
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 682, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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