Carr Pledges FCC 'Urgency' in 'Space Race 2.0'
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the FCC will help the U.S. beat China in “Space Race 2.0” and praised SpaceX’s purchase of EchoStar’s AWS-4 spectrum in remarks Tuesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Aerospace Summit. “That deal is a potential game changer for the American consumer -- it promises to light up new spectrum and bring new sources of competition to the wireless and connectivity market.” The U.S. needs to deploy more satellites than China because the latter suppresses information, Carr said. “A world where [China] is providing internet access and controlling the access of information to billions across the globe would be less prosperous and more dangerous.”
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The FCC is treating the space race “with urgency” and acting to eliminate regulatory barriers to satellite deployment, he said. “Big picture, our goal is to make sure that the United States is the most friendly regulatory environment in the world for people to start, grow or accelerate their space operation.” The agency has reduced by half a 1,450 application backlog for earth stations and is enacting reforms that boost ground station-as-a-service business models. “I pledge to you that the FCC will do everything in its power to make sure the U.S. sets the pace in the new space race,” Carr said.