House Satellite-Licensing Bill Could Speed Competition, Expand Rural Broadband
WASHINGTON (Sept. 1, 2026)—Bipartisan legislation advanced today by a House subcommittee could cut years from the federal satellite-licensing process, lower barriers for new competitors, and expand broadband service in rural and remote communities—provided Congress preserves safeguards against harmful interference, according to International Center for Law & Economics (ICLE) Director of Innovation Policy Kristian Stout.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology sent H.R. 8255, the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act (SAT Act) to the full committee. The measure is sponsored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.).
The SAT Act would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to decide standard satellite-license applications within 180 days and complex applications within one year. The Senate Commerce Committee approved a companion bill, S. 3639, in February.
Stout offered the following comments on the legislation:
Satellite-license reviews can take years, delaying new services and protecting established providers from competition. Members should seize this opportunity to replace protracted, individualized reviews with clear rules, predictable deadlines, and faster decisions on routine applications. The SAT Act moves policy in that direction.
As the House and Senate finalize the legislation, they should preserve strong protections against harmful interference and safeguards for national-security and safety-of-life operations. They also should ensure the FCC has enough staff and flexibility to review complex applications. With those protections, these reforms could lower barriers for credible new entrants, make better use of spectrum, and bring more reliable broadband service to rural and remote communities. I commend members of both parties for advancing this legislation.
Stout has previously called for changes to the FCC’s satellite-licensing process. He co-chairs the Low-Earth Orbit Policy Working Group with Michael Calabrese of New America’s Wireless Future Project. Low-Earth orbit satellites circle closer to Earth than traditional satellites, allowing them to provide faster internet service with less delay.
The group’s October 2025 report recommended firm but flexible review deadlines, uniform treatment for applications that meet the FCC’s technical and sustainability standards, and faster approvals for ground stations that communicate with satellites.
In comments filed in January 2026 as part of the FCC’s “Space Modernization for the 21st Century” proceeding, Stout and Calabrese wrote that reviews under Part 25, the agency’s satellite-licensing rules, have taken “anywhere from one to nearly four years.” They urged the FCC to set a deadline for reviewing applications and presume that applications complying with its rules serve the public interest.
To interview Kristian Stout, contact Jim Fellinger at [email protected].
About ICLE
The International Center for Law & Economics is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center working with a roster of more than one-hundred academic affiliates and research centers from around the globe. ICLE scholars promote the use of law and economics methodologies to inform public policy debates.