Advances in satellite technology have enabled vendors to offer broadband access in remote areas by utilizing clusters of hundreds or thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) In a new insight, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Nick Krosse discusses the advancements in satellite technology and why licensing policies are being updated.

Key points:

• Satellite licensing has long relied on a bespoke, or individualized, application and review process designed for a small number of large geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) communications satellites.
• This licensing process was not scalable to meet the demands and challenges presented by LEO constellations, however, unnecessarily delaying the deployment of these much smaller and more economical satellites such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Leo.
• The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently revamped its satellite licensing rules to shift away from the older model toward a rules-based, scalable process; Congress is considering revising the FCC’s regulatory authority over communications satellites through the proposed Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, but the House and Senate must resolve differences in their respective versions before it can become law.

Read the analysis.