ICLE Quoted in Communications Daily on EU Space Act and Market Access Risks

A recent Communications Daily article examines the European Union’s proposed Space Act and its implications for global satellite markets, quoting the International Center for Law & Economics. The piece points to requirements such as giga-constellation thresholds, expanded registration processes, and extraterritorial inspections as potential barriers for satellite operations. Read the full piece here.

In response to the FCC asking if more should be done to open markets overseas, the International Center for Law & Economics this week raised red flags about European proposals it claims could hinder the U.S. private sector.

“Recent shifts in reciprocity — particularly under the EU Space Act — threaten both global competitiveness and consumer access to broadband services,” the organization said in Tuesday’s filing.

The Space Act represents a nontariff barrier under World Trade Organization principles, according to ICLE. The proposal floated in the EU last year would create a wide-ranging new framework, ranging from cutting orbital debris to ensuring cybersecurity and avoiding collisions between spacecraft.

But unfortunately for U.S. companies, this new framework would put up obstacles to their expansion, the free market-oriented ICLE argued.

“In both design and effect, it targets large U.S. constellation operators by imposing compliance burdens that are not proportionate to demonstrated safety or sustainability benefits,” ICLE said.

And they reflect a “broader trend toward increased restrictions on U.S. satellite operators, raising the prospect of emerging space-sector protectionism,” ICLE contended.

ICLE said it’s a good idea to closely examine “discriminatory effects” of the EU Space Act and other measures when revisiting that presumption.