Rep. Titus: “We have all read the headlines about people in communities being able to get internet access and stay online, even in rural communities or in the midst of national disasters, thanks to LEO [satellite broadband]…These smaller, cheaper satellites are rapidly rolling out a new reliable, high-speed broadband option that can reach even our most remote communities, like we have in Nevada.”

Rep. Onder: “Today’s space exploration is no longer the dream of the few. It has become a global movement powered by major corporations and small businesses, from precision manufacturing to software engineering to communications infrastructure… The network of tomorrow will no doubt be a hybrid system combining fiber, wireless, satellite uplinks and perhaps orbital data centers. In such a system, rural Missouri wouldn’t be a last-mile afterthought, but active participants in a truly global network.”

Aden Hizkias: “The digital divide really shows up in very real ways across industries, especially for small businesses that rely on consistent, high-quality connectivity. Small retailers, without stable broadband, can’t maintain accurate online inventory or run e-commerce sufficiently, which limits their ability to reach customers beyond their immediate area. Local restaurants may experience frequent outages or struggle to process online orders or mobile payments, and this is now becoming an essential part of the food service economy… Without reliable broadband, there is going to continue to be an additional divide, and this is a really great opportunity right now with satellite broadband, with LEOs, to fill that gap.”

Aden Hizkias: “There are more than 36 million small businesses in the U.S, and they account for 99.9 percent of all businesses and 40 percent of American workers. Those are areas where these types of LEO satellites can provide connectivity that helps, regardless of maybe where HQ is.”

Mignonne Hollis: “Especially if you’re in a rural area… we talked to our [fiber] providers here, and they would say, ‘yeah, you don’t have any growth.’ So, without growth, we’re not going to put in extra lines, we’re not going to invest in more technology. And it becomes a cart and a horse thing. Whereas with satellite, it’s there.”

Aden Hizkias: “There’s this hunger and need for a better connectivity, and I think we’re seeing that with these LEOs and satellite broadband at large. And unlike fiber or cable, where service quality is often tracked by what neighborhood you’re in, LEO systems kind of deliver far more consistent speeds regardless of ZIP code. And so, we’re seeing all of these advancements, and that’s just the last couple of years… We know that LEOs specifically are faster, their common uses could be for internet networks, it could be for Earth imaging, it could be for weather. And so really, I think we can see it used for a lot of things.”

Mignonne Hollis: “I had a listening session with a group of EMTs. And they were talking about how they go into these remote areas, and they rely on satellites to communicate with the hospital on being able to provide care for a patient… And so, when you really start to think how it affects and permeates everywhere, it’s really important.”

Aden Hizkias: “When policy keeps pace with innovation, the country can unlock these new jobs, new connectivity, new economic opportunities and really become a global leadership with its rapidly growing, nearly trillion-dollar space economy. And so, we want to make sure that we’re leading with innovation and not lagging with innovation so that communities don’t lose out on the benefits of these advanced connectivity and domestic companies don’t risk falling behind…To make sure that small and local businesses fully benefit from new technologies like LEO broadband, we look to policymakers. [W]e really want them to modernize the rules that govern how satellite systems operate and how connectivity is deployed.”

Mignonne Hollis: “I think competition always [lowers costs]. So, I would look forward to that.”