Law360 Covers ICLE-New America LEO Policy Symposium
Law360 covered the Low Earth Orbit Satellite (LEO) Policy Symposium co-hosted by ICLE and New America’s Wireless Future. The event featured FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz, who outlined the agency’s vision for streamlining satellite regulations to maintain U.S. competitiveness.
The Federal Communications Commission says it envisions a framework for the fast-growing space industry that rejects heavy-handed regulations, which a top official on Thursday likened to British 19th-century “red flag laws” putting the brakes on the early auto industry.
Jay Schwarz, the FCC’s Space Bureau chief, provided a few details about the agency’s space agenda during the Low Earth Orbit Satellite Policy Symposium in Washington, D.C.
Schwarz, named by Republican FCC chief Brendan Carr to the role early this year, highlighted initiatives to cut down on satellite licensing timeframes and plans to impose “shot clocks” on itself to provide applicants with more concrete information on when they can expect action.
Tasked with ensuring that new satellites and substantial changes to existing ones follow federal rules, the FCC has been grappling with a backlog of satellite applications in the past few years. Partly that is the result of a boom in LEO satellites, which orbit close to Earth and provide services such as broadband connectivity.
Schwarz and other key officials have pledged to clear away the backlog as the FCC focuses on giving U.S. companies an edge in the space race with China.
But the industry cannot remain competitive if it’s held back by unnecessary rules, Schwarz said at the event hosted by New America’s Wireless Future and the International Center for Law & Economics.
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