House Commerce Advances FCC Satellite Rules Revamp, Spectrum, Precision Ag Bills

The House Commerce Oversight Subcommittee, meanwhile, plans a Wednesday hearing with Commerce Department Inspector General Peggy Gustafson about NTIA’s distribution of its portion of broadband money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Biden administration’s “massive spending has led to record levels of inflation” and the White House “is prioritizing projects that … recklessly reward their political allies to the detriment of the American people’s interests,” said House Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Oversight Chairman Morgan Griffith, R-Va. The panel will begin at 2 p.m. in 2123 Rayburn.

House Commerce voted 44-0 to advance an amended version of HR-1338, which would require the FCC to issue “specific performance requirements” for satellite licensees to meet on space safety and orbital debris. It would also require the commission to set a 180-day shot clock to limit the timeline for reaching decisions on license applications. House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Doris Matsui, D-Calif., said her substitute amendment makes “clarifications that will enhance the bill’s effectiveness” and will ensure the FCC can quickly implement the measure if enacted. The amendment addresses additional feedback from the FCC and the satellite industry, she said.

HR-1338 and other satellite policy measures on House Commerce’s docket “will give regulators the tools they need to ensure our rules don’t hold back American ingenuity,” said HR-1338 lead sponsor Rodgers. “We need a licensing regime that is nimble and responsive to the market,” Matsui said. House Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and other panel members also praised HR-1338.

House Commerce voted 46-0 on an amended version of HR-675, which would bar the FCC from granting satellite licenses to any entity it identifies as a national security risk under the 2020 Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, said his substitute amendment expands “the national security protections in the bill to blanket licensed earth stations.”

House Commerce voted 46-0 to advance an amended version of HR-682 that would require the FCC to streamline the authorization process for commercial launches’ access to spectrum. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., said his substitute amendment gives the FCC “authority to adjust” covered spectrum authorizations via the rulemaking process and clarifies that NTIA “can nullify FCC authorizations to prevent interference with federal systems.”

House Commerce voted 46-0 to advance an amended version of HR-1353, which would require the FCC to allow satellite direct-to-cell service providers and others to apply to access spectrum to fill in wireless coverage gaps in unserved areas specifically to provide connectivity for emergency services. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, said a substitute amendment from him and Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., “clarifies that carriers must provide voluntary express written consent before” emergency connectivity service providers “may access their spectrum.” It would also require the FCC to report annually to the House and Senate Commerce committees on instances when carriers allow emergency service and when they don’t consent.

House Commerce voted 46-0 to advance HR-1339, which would require the FCC to review and potentially amend satellite rules to promote precision agriculture. Also on the docket: the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act (HR-498), Open Radio Access Networks Outreach Act (HR-1340), Institute for Telecommunication Sciences Codification Act (HR-1343), NTIA Policy and Cybersecurity Coordination Act (HR-1345), Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act (HR-1354), American Cybersecurity Literacy Act (HR-1360), Communications Security Act (HR-1370) and Promoting U.S. Wireless Leadership Act (HR-1377).