Secure Space Act of 2025
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2458, the Secure Space Act, bipartisan legislation that I introduced last month with Energy and Commerce Chair Guthrie.
There is no question that we are once again in the midst of a new space age. It is opening a variety of new frontiers, curiosity, and innovation, including the use of satellites in space to provide broadband and other communications services.
As the demand for satellite services increases, so does the need to protect these communications networks from untrusted actors and equipment. We can't risk having our satellite networks face the same challenges we have seen in some of our other communications networks, which may be more challenging given the fact that satellites operate globally. It is, therefore, imperative that we ensure the satellite marketplace and its relevant supply chains are protected from threats by nontrusted actors.
H.R. 2458 helps meet these objectives. This legislation will extend the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act framework to the licensing of both geostationary and nongeostationary orbit satellites as well as the authorization of U.S. Earth stations. Effectively, this legislation will prevent entities identified as national security risks from gaining a license or authorization to access the U.S. satellite market. This is especially relevant given that the combined satellite fleets of China and Russia have grown by about 70 percent in the last few years.
By applying the Secure and Trusted framework to the satellite industry, we will take another crucial step toward protecting the public from untrusted entities and our foreign adversaries. The requirements in this legislation will not only benefit our Nation but will also help further the United States' ability to protect our allies, as they, too, rely on these global satellite networks for broadband and emergency services.
I thank Chair Guthrie for working with me on this bipartisan bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this timely legislation to protect Americans from untrusted actors seeking to use our communications networks against us.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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