FCC's Simington Urges Passage of Satellite and Telecom Streamlining Act

The Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, rolled out by House Commerce leadership last month (see 2202110064), deserves congressional support, though it would necessitate more agency funding, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington told the Texas Public Policy Foundation Friday, per prepared remarks. He said the goal of streamlined and faster non-geostationary orbit satellite application processing is laudable, but the "dedicated and expert" International Bureau staff are already working as fast as they can and the bill's objective can't be reached without staffing up. He said he wasn't convinced by arguments the FCC has limited, constrained authority over orbital debris regulations, as it has been active in the field for decades and Congress never told it to stop. He said the bill's guidance in updating agency orbital debris rules is valuable.