Federal

Secure Space Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 1,149 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes the law that deals with trusted communications networks. It stops the Federal Communications Commission from giving licenses or permission to use United States satellite markets to certain companies or their related businesses that make communications equipment.

Who It Affects

The Federal Communications Commission (a government agency that oversees communications). Companies that produce or provide communications equipment or services and want to operate satellite systems. Related companies or affiliates of those equipment makers.

Key Provisions

The Federal Communications Commission cannot grant licenses for satellite systems if the company that would control it makes or provides covered communications equipment or services (Sec. 10(a)(1)). The Federal Communications Commission cannot grant licenses if an affiliate (a related company as defined by the Communications Act of 1934) of a communications equipment maker would control it (Sec. 10(a)(2)). The Federal Communications Commission must create rules within one year of this law being passed to explain how to enforce this prohibition (Sec. 2(c)).

What Changes

If this bill becomes law, companies that make communications equipment cannot get satellite licenses or permission to use the U.S. market starting from when this law is signed. The Federal Communications Commission must issue specific rules explaining how to follow this new rule.

Important Definitions

The bill defines "blanket-licensed earth station" as a ground station (equipment that sends and receives signals) licensed with a satellite system. It defines "gateway station" as a ground station that directs signals between satellite systems but does not start or end customer communication traffic. It defines "individually licensed earth station" as a ground station that sends and receives signals from a satellite system or functions as a gateway station.

Effective Date

This prohibition applies to any licenses, petitions or authorizations granted on or after the date this law is signed. Not specified in bill text when exactly the Federal Communications Commission must finish its rules, only that it must be "not later than 1 year after" enactment.

IB Union Calendar No. 27 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 675 [Report No. 118–41] 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 non-geostationary orbit satellite system if the license or grant of market access would be held or controlled by an entity that produces or provides any covered commu- nications equipment or service or an affiliate of such an entity, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 31, 2023 Mr. PALLONE (for himself and Mrs. RODGERS of Washington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce APRIL 25, 2023 Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 31, 2023] VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 675 RH A BILL 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 non-geostationary orbit satellite sys- tem if the license or grant of market access 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. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Secure Space Act of 4 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE LI- 6 CENSES, UNITED STATES MARKET ACCESS, 7 OR EARTH STATION AUTHORIZATIONS. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secure and Trusted Commu- 9 nications Networks Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 10 is amended— 11 (1) by redesignating sections 10 and 11 as sec- 12 tions 11 and 12, respectively; and 13 (2) by inserting after section 9 the following: 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 675 RH ‘‘SEC. 10. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE 1 LICENSES, UNITED STATES MARKET ACCESS, 2 OR EARTH STATION AUTHORIZATIONS. 3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may not grant 4 a license for, or a petition for a declaratory ruling to access 5 the United States market using, a geostationary orbit sat- 6 ellite system or a nongeostationary orbit satellite system, 7 or an authorization to use an individually licensed earth 8 station or a blanket-licensed earth station, if such license, 9 grant of market access, or authorization would be held or 10 controlled by— 11 ‘‘(1) an entity that produces or provides any 12 covered communications equipment or service; or 13 ‘‘(2) an affiliate (as defined in section 3 of the 14 Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153)) of an 15 entity described in paragraph (1). 16 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 17 ‘‘(1) BLANKET-LICENSED EARTH STATION.—The 18 term ‘blanket-licensed earth station’ means an earth 19 station that is licensed with a geostationary orbit sat- 20 ellite system or a nongeostationary orbit satellite sys- 21 tem. 22 ‘‘(2) GATEWAY STATION.—The term ‘gateway 23 station’ means an earth station or a group of earth 24 stations that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 675 RH ‘‘(A) supports the routing and switching 1 functions of a geostationary orbit satellite system 2 or a nongeostationary orbit satellite system; 3 ‘‘(B) may also be used for telemetry, track- 4 ing, and command transmissions; 5 ‘‘(C) does not originate or terminate com- 6 munication traffic; and 7 ‘‘(D) is not for the exclusive use of any cus- 8 tomer. 9 ‘‘(3) INDIVIDUALLY LICENSED EARTH STATION.— 10 The term ‘individually licensed earth station’ 11 means— 12 ‘‘(A) an earth station (other than a blanket- 13 licensed earth station) that sends a signal to, 14 and receives a signal from, a geostationary orbit 15 satellite system or a nongeostationary orbit sat- 16 ellite system; or 17 ‘‘(B) a gateway station.’’. 18 (b) APPLICABILITY.—Section 10 of the Secure and 19 Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, as added 20 by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to the grant of 21 a license, petition, or authorization on or after the date of 22 the enactment of this Act. 23 (c) RULES.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 24 the enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 675 RH Commission shall issue rules to implement section 10 of the 1 Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, 2 as added by subsection (a). 3 Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commis- sion from granting a license or United States market ac- cess for a geostationary orbit satellite system or a non- geostationary 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 ac- cess, or authorization would be held or controlled by an entity that produces or provides any covered communica- tions equipment or service or an affiliate of such an enti- ty, and for other purposes.’’. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS Union Calendar No. 27 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 675 [Report No. 118–41] A BILL To amend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from granting a li- cense or United States market access for a non- geostationary orbit satellite system if the license or grant of market access would be held or con- trolled by an entity that produces or provides any covered communications equipment or service or an affiliate of such an entity, and for other pur- poses. APRIL 25, 2023 Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and or- dered to be printed VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Apr 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H675.RH H675 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.