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S. 1648 118th Congress Senate

Launch Communications Act

Official title: A bill to facilitate access to the electromagnetic spectrum for commercial space launches and commercial space reentries, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 17, 2023 Introduced by: Eric Schmitt Republican · Missouri See on congress.gov
Science, Technology, Communications Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAviation and airportsFederal Communications Commission (FCC)Intergovernmental relations
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Radio spectrum allocationSpace flight and explorationSpacecraft and satellitesTelephone and wireless communication
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 Everywhere this bill has been 19 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 26, 2024
Became Public Law No: 118-85.
Sep 26, 2024
Signed by President.
Sep 24, 2024
Presented to President.
Sep 17, 2024
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5309)
Sep 17, 2024
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Sep 17, 2024
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5309)
Sep 17, 2024
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1648.
Sep 17, 2024
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5309-5310)
Sep 17, 2024
Mrs. Rodgers (WA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Nov 6, 2023
Held at the desk.
Nov 6, 2023
Received in the House.
Nov 6, 2023
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Oct 31, 2023
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S5266-5267; text: CR S5267)
Oct 31, 2023
Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5266-5267; text: CR S5267)
Sep 18, 2023
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cantwell with amendments. Without written report.
Sep 18, 2023
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 209.
Jul 27, 2023
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
May 17, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
May 17, 2023
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action September 26, 2024

Became Public Law No: 118-85.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Launch Communications Act

This act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to facilitate access to specified broadband spectrum frequencies for commercial space launches and reentries.

Under current law, commercial missions launching from the United States to space must use government-owned spectrum to communicate with the rockets during launch, and private companies must apply to the FCC to receive special temporary authority to use such spectrum. On June 28, 2021, the FCC issued a final rule adopting a nonfederal secondary allocation of the 2200-2290 megahertz frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum for use during commercial space launches and reentries.

The act requires the FCC to (1) adopt service rules for access to additional frequencies for commercial space launches and reentries and complete associated rulemaking activities (e.g., those that set technical specifications and eligibility requirements), and (2) allocate the frequencies.

The FCC must also streamline the process for access authorizations, including by providing for (1) authorizations to access specified frequencies for multiple commercial space launches and reentries from one or more federal or private launch or reentry sites, (2) authorizations for multiple uses of such frequencies for a commercial space launch or reentry, (3) electronic filing and processing of access applications, and (4) improved coordination between the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to increase the speed of the review of such applications. 

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 682 Launch Communications Act
 Bill text 5 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Lobbying activity 4

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

  • T-MOBILE USA, INC.
    for T-MOBILE USA, INC. · District of Columbia · 4th Quarter 2025 (Oct 1 - Dec 31)
  • T-MOBILE USA, INC.
    for T-MOBILE USA, INC. · District of Columbia · 3rd Quarter 2025 (July 1 - Sep 30)
  • T-MOBILE USA, INC.
    for T-MOBILE USA, INC. · District of Columbia · 2nd Quarter 2025 (Apr 1 - June 30)
  • T-MOBILE USA, INC.
    for T-MOBILE USA, INC. · District of Columbia · 1st Quarter 2025 (Jan 1 - Mar 31)

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

 Cosponsors 1
All 1 Democratic 1
D
Hickenlooper, John W.
Colorado · May 17, 2023
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1648: Launch Communications Act. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-1648/
MLA
"S. 1648: Launch Communications Act." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-1648/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1648, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-1648/.
Markdown link
[S. 1648: Launch Communications Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-S-1648/)
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