U.S. Needs a Space Bureau to Regulate the ‘New Space Age,’ FCC Says

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has introduced a plan to launch a bureau devoted to the house business, a transfer prompted by the ever-increasing variety of satellites despatched to house.

During her speech on the National Press Club on Thursday, Rosenworcel mentioned the fee intends to reorganize the company, remodeling the FCC’s International Bureau into a brand new Space Bureau and a standalone Office of International Affairs.

Over the previous two years, the FCC has obtained purposes for 64,000 new satellites and witnessed an eight-fold enhance within the variety of purposes for fixed-satellite service gateway Earth stations, based on Rosenworcel. “The satellite industry is growing at a record pace, but here on the ground our regulatory frameworks for licensing them have not kept up,” she mentioned. “The new space age has turned everything we know about how to deliver critical space-based services on its head.”

In an effort to maintain up with its duties, the FCC is trying to set up the Space Bureau to deal with satellite tv for pc licensing and regulatory work, in addition to develop new rules for the house business. “A new Space Bureau at the FCC will ensure that the agency’s resources are appropriately aligned to fulfill its statutory obligations, improve its coordination across the federal government, and support the 21st century satellite industry,” Rosenworcel mentioned.

The FCC is liable for regulating communications transmitted by way of radio, tv, cable, wire, in addition to satellites. The fee licenses radio frequencies utilized by satellites and ensures that satellite tv for pc operators correctly deal with their defunct satellite tv for pc particles. The FCC lately issued a brand new order that may require satellites to reenter Earth’s ambiance 5 years after their missions finish, reasonably than the earlier 25-year deadline. Before that, there have been no FCC pointers in place relating to the deorbiting of satellites.

The satellite tv for pc business has been cautious that the FCC may be trying to increase its regulatory function past its already current scope. However, Rosenworcel denied these claims. “The changes I am announcing today are not about taking on new responsibilities at the FCC,” she mentioned. “They are about performing our existing statutory responsibilities better and freeing up resources to focus on our mission.” The fee is trying to replace its guidelines and velocity up its licensing course of as a part of its efforts to maintain up with the business, based on Rosenworcel.

The FCC’s newest proposal was probably prompted by the rising variety of web satellites swarming above. Earth’s orbit is certainly getting extra crowded, particularly with firms like SpaceX and Amazon constructing constellations of web satellites. SpaceX has already launched greater than 3,000 satellites with CEO Elon Musk hoping to attain a complete of 42,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, whereas Amazon’s Project Kuiper desires to launch 3,236 satellites.

As the house business continues to tackle a brand new type, and the variety of satellites in Earth orbit enhance, a brand new house bureau will probably be the primary of many modifications directed in the direction of the regulation of house.

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