Secure Space Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Secure Space Act of 2025 blocks certain untrusted communications-equipment providers and their affiliates from receiving key Federal Communications Commission satellite and earth-station approvals. It adds a new section 10 to the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 barring the FCC from granting a license for a geostationary or nongeostationary satellite system, granting a declaratory ruling for U.S. market access, or authorizing an individually licensed or blanket-licensed earth station if the authorization would be held or controlled by an entity that produces or provides covered communications equipment or services, or by an affiliate of that entity. The bill defines blanket-licensed earth stations, gateway stations, and individually licensed earth stations, applies the prohibition to grants made on or after enactment, and requires FCC rules within one year.
Who Benefits and How
Trusted U.S. satellite operators, domestic earth-station operators, U.S. telecom-network security officials, national-security policymakers, FCC licensing staff, customers of trusted satellite broadband providers, and domestic communications-equipment suppliers benefit because the bill reduces the risk that covered-equipment providers can use FCC satellite or earth-station approvals to access the U.S. market, gateway stations, telemetry links, routing functions, or blanket-licensed facilities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Covered communications-equipment producers, affiliates of covered providers, foreign satellite operators tied to covered equipment, earth-station applicants controlled by covered entities, the Federal Communications Commission, satellite licensing applicants, gateway-station operators, and market-access petitioners bear burdens because the bill blocks grants, forces ownership-control review, restricts U.S. market access, requires new FCC rules within one year, and may require applicants to prove they are not held or controlled by covered entities.
Key Provisions
- Bars FCC geostationary satellite licenses for covered communications-equipment providers and their affiliates.
- Bars FCC nongeostationary satellite licenses and U.S. market-access petitions for covered entities.
- Bars individually licensed and blanket-licensed earth-station authorizations controlled by covered entities.
- Defines blanket-licensed earth stations, gateway stations, and individually licensed earth stations.
- Applies the prohibition to grants on or after enactment and requires FCC implementing rules within one year.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to bar FCC satellite, U.S. market-access, and earth-station authorizations for entities that produce covered communications equipment or services and their affiliates, while requiring FCC implementing rules within one year.
Key Policy Areas
Telecommunications, National Security, Space
Primary Purpose
Amends the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act to bar FCC satellite, U.S. market-access, and earth-station authorizations for entities that produce covered communications equipment or services and their affiliates, while requiring FCC implementing rules within one year.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Trusted U.S. satellite operators
- Domestic earth-station operators
- U.S. telecom-network security officials
- National-security policymakers
- FCC licensing staff
- Customers of trusted satellite broadband providers
- Domestic communications-equipment suppliers
Identified Costs
- Covered communications-equipment producers
- Affiliates of covered providers
- Foreign satellite operators tied to covered equipment
- Earth-station applicants controlled by covered entities
- Federal Communications Commission
- Satellite licensing applicants
- Gateway-station operators
- Market-access petitioners
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseReceived; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1652-1653)
Mr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 42.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Affiliates of covered providers, Covered communications-equipment producers, Domestic earth-station operators
Positive-direction: Domestic earth-station operators, Trusted U.S. satellite operators, Trusted satellite broadband providers
Negative-direction: Affiliates of covered providers, Covered communications-equipment producers, Earth-station applicants controlled by covered entities, Foreign satellite operators tied to covered equipment, Gateway-station operators
FCC licensing staff, Federal Communications Commission, National-security policymakers
Positive-direction: National-security policymakers
Negative-direction: FCC licensing staff, Federal Communications Commission
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "commission"
- → Federal Communications Commission
- "covered_entity"
- → entity that produces or provides covered communications equipment or service
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