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July 16, 2026 – Today, a broad alliance including business voices, consumer advocates, education experts and rural advocates called on lawmakers to support the satellite licensing modernizations included in the Satellite and Telecommunications (SAT) Streamlining Act.

The Connect Everyone Coalition (CEC) and a number of its member organizations wrote to leadership and members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, discussing how establishing clear deadlines or “shotclocks” for satellite licensing procedures is an essential step to “reduce delays, create more predictable review timelines and enable faster rollout of next-generation satellite networks.​”

“Cutting-edge space technologies such as low Earth orbit satellite broadband have the potential to change life here on Earth for the better, but we cannot lead in tomorrow’s technologies using yesterday’s policies,” says CEC Executive Director Richard Cullen. “The SAT Streamlining Act’s commonsense provisions provide a regulatory framework that puts time on our side and allows innovators to connect more people, more quickly, to the full catalog of benefits from space-based technology.”

Read the full letter below.

ABOUT THE CONNECT EVERYONE COALITION

The Connect Everyone Coalition is a broad-based coalition of more than 120 leaders committed to educating the public and policymakers on the importance of using every tool in our connectivity toolbox to provide fast, affordable broadband access to everyone, everywhere.

The coalition supports an innovative, tech-neutral approach to expanding broadband access that takes full advantage of new technologies and connectivity options, including advances in LEO satellite broadband. We showcase the transformative power of LEO satellites’ ability to connect anyone, anywhere, and we support updating broadband strategies and modernizing space policy so unserved and underserved communities across our nation and world can fully benefit from this game-changing new option. Learn more about the Connect Everyone Coalition HERE.

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To:                  

U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie, Chairman, House Committee on Energy and Commerce

U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Ranking Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce

U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, Chairman, House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

U.S. Representative Doris Matsui, Ranking Member, House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Members, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

Members, U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Re: Support for Satellite and Telecommunications (SAT) Streamlining Act and Deemed-Granted Provisions To Provide Regulatory Certainty for Space Innovators and Close the Digital Divide

Date: July 16, 2026

We commend the leadership of the members of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce and U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for the bipartisan effort to advance the Satellite and Telecommunications (SAT) Streamlining Act. We urge swift passage and implementation of this bipartisan legislation.

The digital divide still affects far too many Americans. Affordable, reliable high-speed internet unlocks economic opportunity, education and connection — yet millions of Americans still lack access. Fortunately, emerging technologies, including low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband, are closing that gap and bringing more options to rural and unserved communities. By updating outdated regulatory processes, Congress can allow innovative satellite technologies to reach more people faster and expand broadband access where people need it most.

The SAT Streamlining Act would modernize the Federal Communications Commission’s satellite licensing process. It would establish clear deadlines or “shotclocks,” reduce regulatory bottlenecks and create a more predictable pathway for satellite applications. The need for this reform is urgent, and the benefits for Americans’ lives will be clear and direct.

In particular, the SAT Streamlining Act’s deemed-granted provisions are an important component of meaningful reform. Deemed-granted mechanisms meaningfully implement the bill’s shotclocks for consideration of routine licensing applications unless the authorities find an actual problem with a specific application within a reasonable fixed timeline. This shift would reduce delays, create more predictable review timelines and enable faster rollout of next-generation satellite networks.​

A modern, efficient and transparent licensing system will benefit far more than any single company or technology. Meaningful shotclocks on satellite applications are pro-competition and pro-innovation, since new market entrants and emerging satellite developers often have fewer resources than large and established companies to absorb the costs of regulatory delays and uncertainty. They will strengthen competition, encourage investment, support innovation across the commercial space sector and ensure a wider range of satellite developers can bring new services to market.​ 

Passage of the SAT Streamlining Act should also be viewed as part of a broader push to modernize American space policy for the 21^st century. Outdated regulations and duplicative licensing and approval processes are slowing innovation and limiting the nation’s ability to close the digital divide and lead in an increasingly competitive global space economy. Advancing and implementing this legislation would represent an important step toward cutting unnecessary red tape, aligning regulatory frameworks with current technologies and reinforcing U.S. leadership in space.

Congress has an opportunity to build on bipartisan momentum as the legislation advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in February, and companion legislation was introduced in the House and considered by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in April.​ Leaders in both chambers should continue the important work to move the bill across the finish line and ensure its reforms are implemented.​

The SAT Streamlining Act is a commonsense step to support innovation, expand connectivity, improve regulatory certainty and help connect more people faster through next-generation satellite services to harness the full promise of 21^st-century space technologies. We strongly support your efforts in advancing this bipartisan legislation and are eager to collaborate towards these shared goals.

Respectfully,

Connect Everyone Coalition

ATTA Library

Chamber of Progress

Consumer Choice Center

Digital First Project

Friday Institute, North Carolina State University

Frontier Institute

Inspiredu

National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship

Space Coast Chamber

Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce

Virginia Chamber of Commerce

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