Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 682, the Launch Communications Act led by the gentlemen from Florida's Second and Ninth Districts. Over the last decade, the American commercial space industry has dramatically reduced the cost to enter space, revolutionizing the industry. Investment has increased, and innovation has flourished. The number of commercial space launches has increased dramatically. Unfortunately, our Federal processes have not kept pace. To launch satellites into orbit, launch providers need access to certain radio frequencies, known as spectrum, which requires coordination between several Federal agencies. H.R. 682 will take important steps to streamline the process for commercial space launch providers to gain access to the frequencies they need when they need them and ensure that a lack of coordination between Federal agencies does not hamper the thriving commercial space economy. No space launch should be threatened because approval for their spectrum access is caught up in bureaucratic delay. This legislation would provide more certainty to commercial satellite operators that when they make the investment in satellite technologies, they will be able to launch them into space. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 682, and I reserve the balance of my time.”