[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 70 (Monday, April 28, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1652-H1653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECURE SPACE ACT OF 2025
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2458) to amend the Secure and Trusted Communications
Networks Act of 2019 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission
from granting a license or United States market access for a
geostationary orbit satellite system or a nongeostationary orbit
satellite system, or an authorization to use an individually licensed
earth station or a blanket-licensed earth station, if the license,
grant of market access, or authorization would be held or controlled by
an entity that produces or provides any covered communications
equipment or service or an affiliate of such an entity, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2458
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 ``Secure Space Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE LICENSES,
UNITED STATES MARKET ACCESS, OR EARTH STATION
AUTHORIZATIONS.
(a) In General.--The Secure and Trusted Communications
Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 10 and 11 as sections 11 and
12, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 9 the following:
``SEC. 10. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE
LICENSES, UNITED STATES MARKET ACCESS, OR EARTH
STATION AUTHORIZATIONS.
``(a) In General.--The Commission may not grant a license
for, or a petition for a declaratory ruling to access the
United States market using, a geostationary orbit satellite
system or a nongeostationary orbit satellite system, or an
authorization to use an individually licensed earth station
or a blanket-licensed earth station, if such license, grant
of market access, or authorization would be held or
controlled by--
``(1) an entity that produces or provides any covered
communications equipment or service; or
``(2) an affiliate (as defined in section 3 of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153)) of an entity
described in paragraph (1).
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Blanket-licensed earth station.--The term `blanket-
licensed earth station' means an earth station that is
licensed with a geostationary orbit satellite system or a
nongeostationary orbit satellite system.
``(2) Gateway station.--The term `gateway station' means an
earth station or a group of earth stations that--
``(A) supports the routing and switching functions of a
geostationary orbit satellite system or a nongeostationary
orbit satellite system;
``(B) may also be used for telemetry, tracking, and command
transmissions;
``(C) does not originate or terminate communication
traffic; and
``(D) is not for the exclusive use of any customer.
``(3) Individually licensed earth station.--The term
`individually licensed earth station' means--
``(A) an earth station (other than a blanket-licensed earth
station) that sends a signal to, and receives a signal from,
a geostationary orbit satellite system or a nongeostationary
orbit satellite system; or
``(B) a gateway station.''.
(b) Applicability.--Section 10 of the Secure and Trusted
Communications Networks Act of 2019, as added by subsection
(a), shall apply with respect to the grant of a license,
petition, or authorization on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(c) Rules.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission
shall issue rules to implement section 10 of the Secure and
Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, as added by
subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record for this
particular bill.
[[Page H1653]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2458, the Secure Space Act.
Advancements in satellite technology have enabled broadband internet
to be deployed at commercial scale. We must protect these systems from
foreign adversaries. The Secure Space Act would prohibit the Federal
Communications Commission from granting a license for geostationary
orbit and nongeostationary orbit satellite systems if they are owned or
controlled by an entity that provides communications equipment that
pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. That is common
sense.
I thank Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for their
leadership on this particular bill, 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. 2458, the Secure Space
Act, bipartisan legislation that I introduced last month with Energy
and Commerce Chair Guthrie.
There is no question that we are once again in the midst of a new
space age. It is opening a variety of new frontiers, curiosity, and
innovation, including the use of satellites in space to provide
broadband and other communications services.
As the demand for satellite services increases, so does the need to
protect these communications networks from untrusted actors and
equipment. We can't risk having our satellite networks face the same
challenges we have seen in some of our other communications networks,
which may be more challenging given the fact that satellites operate
globally. It is, therefore, imperative that we ensure the satellite
marketplace and its relevant supply chains are protected from threats
by nontrusted actors.
H.R. 2458 helps meet these objectives. This legislation will extend
the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act framework to the
licensing of both geostationary and nongeostationary orbit satellites
as well as the authorization of U.S. Earth stations. Effectively, this
legislation will prevent entities identified as national security risks
from gaining a license or authorization to access the U.S. satellite
market. This is especially relevant given that the combined satellite
fleets of China and Russia have grown by about 70 percent in the last
few years.
By applying the Secure and Trusted framework to the satellite
industry, we will take another crucial step toward protecting the
public from untrusted entities and our foreign adversaries. The
requirements in this legislation will not only benefit our Nation but
will also help further the United States' ability to protect our
allies, as they, too, rely on these global satellite networks for
broadband and emergency services.
I thank Chair Guthrie for working with me on this bipartisan bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this timely
legislation to protect Americans from untrusted actors seeking to use
our communications networks against us.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this
particular bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2458.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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