Official Summaries

Secure Space Act of 2025

This bill prohibits the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from granting satellite licenses or earth station authorizations, including U.S. market access for foreign-licensed satellites, to specified foreign entities of concern and their affiliates. (Earth stations, also commonly known as ground stations, are earth-based radio stations that communicate with satellites. A grant of U.S. market access permits one or more foreign-licensed satellites to communicate with one or more U.S.-licensed earth stations.)

Specifically, the FCC may not grant a satellite license, an earth station authorization, or market access to any entity, or an affiliate thereof, that produces or provides communications equipment or services deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States. (The FCC maintains a list of such equipment and services, known as the Covered List. Providers of such equipment and services include, for example, Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation.) 

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2458 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2458


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2025

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To amend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 to 
prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from granting a license 
  or United States market access for a geostationary orbit satellite 
      system or a nongeostationary orbit satellite system, or an 
   authorization to use an individually licensed earth station or a 
blanket-licensed earth station, if the license, grant of market access, 
or authorization would be held or controlled by an entity that produces 
   or provides any covered communications equipment or service or an 
          affiliate of such an entity, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Secure Space Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE LICENSES, UNITED 
              STATES MARKET ACCESS, OR EARTH STATION AUTHORIZATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act 
of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 10 and 11 as sections 11 and 
        12, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 9 the following:

``SEC. 10. PROHIBITION ON GRANT OF CERTAIN SATELLITE LICENSES, UNITED 
              STATES MARKET ACCESS, OR EARTH STATION AUTHORIZATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Commission may not grant a license for, or a 
petition for a declaratory ruling to access the United States market 
using, a geostationary orbit satellite system or a nongeostationary 
orbit satellite system, or an authorization to use an individually 
licensed earth station or a blanket-licensed earth station, if such 
license, grant of market access, or authorization would be held or 
controlled by--
            ``(1) an entity that produces or provides any covered 
        communications equipment or service; or
            ``(2) an affiliate (as defined in section 3 of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153)) of an entity 
        described in paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Blanket-licensed earth station.--The term `blanket-
        licensed earth station' means an earth station that is licensed 
        with a geostationary orbit satellite system or a 
        nongeostationary orbit satellite system.
            ``(2) Gateway station.--The term `gateway station' means an 
        earth station or a group of earth stations that--
                    ``(A) supports the routing and switching functions 
                of a geostationary orbit satellite system or a 
                nongeostationary orbit satellite system;
                    ``(B) may also be used for telemetry, tracking, and 
                command transmissions;
                    ``(C) does not originate or terminate communication 
                traffic; and
                    ``(D) is not for the exclusive use of any customer.
            ``(3) Individually licensed earth station.--The term 
        `individually licensed earth station' means--
                    ``(A) an earth station (other than a blanket-
                licensed earth station) that sends a signal to, and 
                receives a signal from, a geostationary orbit satellite 
                system or a nongeostationary orbit satellite system; or
                    ``(B) a gateway station.''.
    (b) Applicability.--Section 10 of the Secure and Trusted 
Communications Networks Act of 2019, as added by subsection (a), shall 
apply with respect to the grant of a license, petition, or 
authorization on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Rules.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall issue rules to 
implement section 10 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks 
Act of 2019, as added by subsection (a).

            Passed the House of Representatives April 28, 2025.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.