A satellite permitting bill unveiled this week in the House does not include provisions included in a Senate version regarding federal spectrum or a limit on the size of satellite constellations that would automatically win federal approval after expiration of a review deadline.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is set to hold a hearing on the House version on April 21, though no markup has yet been announced. The bill would set deadlines for the Federal Communications Commission to approve a variety of satellite and related ground station applications.

The efforts to speed up satellite licensing come as technology companies have aired interest in building satellite-based data centers. Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has applied to the FCC to launch up to 1 million satellites for its data center project.

In a joint statement announcing the hearing, Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said the conversation will focus on “modernizing our regulations.”

“American innovators are at the leading edge of technological advancements that will serve our families and businesses for years to come. Unfortunately, our laws governing satellite technologies often do not reflect our ability and shared goal to continue that progress,” they said.

The legislation, dubbed the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining or SAT Streamlining Act, is sponsored by Guthrie and is co-sponsored by the full committee’s ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee approved that chamber’s bill with the same name from Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in February. But the markup was delayed until Cruz and the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., reached a deal to address her concerns over the FCC’s ability to properly vet satellite applications in the time given, especially for very large satellite constellations.

The House bill largely does not include the elements added by that deal.

Shot clock

Guthrie’s version would set a one-year “shot clock” on nongeostationary and geostationary satellite or earth station license applications, and for major modifications to nongeostationary satellite licenses. It would deem those applications granted if an applicant notified the FCC that the deadline had passed.

The FCC could extend the deadlines in “extraordinary circumstances” and if the commission notified Congress of the reason for the extension. Extensions would only be allowed for up to 180 days.

The bill would set shorter deadlines for license or grant of market access renewals, minor modifications and applications to replace a satellite. 

Grants of market access and license or grant renewals would not be subject to the “deemed granted” language.

The House bill also does not contain a provision in the Senate version which would allow FCC commissioners to request a vote on the approval of a satellite application.

The Senate version also included an up to two-year delay on the new “shot clock” provisions until the FCC could make rules to determine what types of applications are eligible to be deemed granted.

Those limits would possibly include limits on the size of a constellation that could be deemed granted or rules for not automatically approving applications with novel architectures or requiring certain FCC rule waivers.

The House version does not include this delay or the request for limits on what types of applications could be deemed granted.

It also does not include an exclusion from the “deemed granted” language for satellites using federal-only spectrum or a requirement that the FCC coordinate with the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to determine which spectrum bands shared between federal and non-federal use would also be excluded.