To provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing systems, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Mr. Lucas (for himself and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025 makes the federal licensing process for commercial satellite imaging companies more transparent and accountable. It doubles the frequency of government reports on these licenses from every 120 days to every 60 days, requires disclosure of specific terms and conditions placed on each license, and mandates publication of all applications with explanations of how each company is categorized under the regulatory tier system.
Who Benefits and How
Congressional oversight committees and public interest groups gain significantly enhanced visibility into how NOAA regulates the commercial satellite imaging industry, receiving reports twice as often with much more detailed information about licensing decisions. Prospective new companies entering the remote sensing business benefit from reduced information barriers - they can now see exactly what requirements and tier classifications existing licensees face before submitting their own applications. Existing satellite imaging companies get competitive intelligence by viewing the specific terms, conditions, and tier categorizations their competitors have received.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The NOAA Office of Space Commerce and Department of Commerce administrative staff face substantially increased workload, needing to produce detailed reports twice as frequently and develop new systems to track and publish all license terms, conditions, and tier categorization rationales. Current licensed satellite operators face potential competitive disadvantage from public disclosure of their proprietary licensing arrangements, though they don't have new direct compliance requirements themselves. Taxpayers may indirectly bear costs through increased administrative expenses at the Department of Commerce.
Key Provisions
- Reduces government reporting intervals from every 120 days to every 60 days for commercial remote sensing licensing activities
- Requires disclosure of all terms, conditions, and restrictions placed on commercial satellite imaging licenses
- Mandates publication of a comprehensive list of all license applications and approvals, organized by regulatory tier
- Requires government to publish rationale for how each license is categorized within the tier system
- Extends the reporting authorization from September 30, 2020 through September 30, 2030
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends Title 51 USC to increase transparency in commercial remote sensing licensing by requiring more frequent reports, disclosure of license conditions, and publication of all applications and tier categorizations.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Increase government accountability and public transparency in the commercial remote sensing licensing process by reducing reporting intervals from 120 to 60 days and mandating disclosure of licensing terms and tier classifications"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Public interest/transparency advocates - gain access to licensing information
- Commercial remote sensing industry competitors - can see what terms competitors receive
- Congressional oversight bodies - receive more frequent updates
- Potential new entrants - can better understand licensing tiers and requirements
Likely Burden Bearers
- NOAA/Department of Commerce licensing office - must produce reports twice as frequently
- Licensed remote sensing operators - may face competitive disadvantage from disclosure of proprietary licensing terms
- Administrative staff - increased workload for compliance and reporting
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "reporting_entity"
- → Agency responsible for commercial remote sensing licensing under Title 51 USC (NOAA/Department of Commerce)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A categorization system for commercial remote sensing licenses defined in regulation, used to classify different levels or types of remote sensing operations
Entities that have been granted licenses for commercial remote sensing operations under section 60122
Requirements and limitations placed on commercial remote sensing licensees pursuant to section 60122
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology