Twenty organizations, working under the aegis of The Connect Everyone Coalition, have called on nine federal agencies to modernize and reduce bureaucracy in policy related to the commercial space industry.
While parts of the space development policy letter called for general changes and updates, the focus is on low-earth orbit (LEO) technology. The letter cited four current areas of redundancy and inefficiency: fragmented multi-agency approvals, redundant environmental reviews, redundant range safety determinations, and lack of transparency regarding scheduling and delays.
“New space-based innovations like low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites have the potential to finally give every American access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband and the 21st-century opportunities that it unlocks,” CEC executive director Richard Cullen said in a press release.
“For the American people to fully benefit from space innovation, policymakers need to keep modernizing rules and regulations that were meant for our grandparents’ space race. This is key to unlocking greater investment and allowing these new solutions that Americans are waiting for to scale up quickly.”
The organizations included local businesses, connectivity experts and advocates, industry experts, and veterans groups.
Groups signing onto the space policy letter include the Chamber of Progress; National Grange; Frontier Institute; Friday Institute, North Carolina State University; Consumer Choice Center; National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship; Service-Disabled Veteran Medical Products Group; Digital First Project; Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce; Taxpayers Protection Alliance; ATTA Library; Inspiredu; DGX Security; Nasir & Associates LLC; CADD Construction; AJACE, LLC; 17th Street Auto; India K Raja Restaurant; Telugu Indian Association and Fit Well.
The space policy letter was sent to the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Commerce, the Department of War, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Space-based broadband continues to move forward. Amazon Leo said late last month that it is launching a preview to enable select business customers to test the network using production hardware and software. The preview will also allow Amazon Leo to gather customer feedback and tailor solutions for specific industries in preparation for its 2026 rollout.
