FACT SHEET: FEDERAL LEGISLATION ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS Satellite Proliferation: Hundreds of Thousands of US Launches With No Environmental Review. Three Bills Pending Environmental and Other Impacts of

FACT SHEET: FEDERAL LEGISLATION ON WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS Satellite Proliferation: Hundreds of Thousands of US Launches With No Environmental Review.1 Three Bills Pending Environmental and Other Impacts of Satellites HR 1338 Requires FCC to process satellite applications, with an approach similar to HR 3557. [...] across the entire planet.12 HR 1339 Requires the FCC to pursue additional regulations to • Release chemical and particulate promote satellite use for precision agriculture. [...] Context: Over 1 Million Satellites Planned • Increase the risk of orbital debris, which Satellite operators plan over one million satellites globally in the is a growing threat to space coming years.2 By comparison, in 2018, prior to the recent wave infrastructure, as documented by GAO of expansion, just over 1,300 satellites were active from all and others.16 previous history.3 In the US alone, t. [...] (particularly when combined with other bills pending in Congress18) despite Regulatory Gap known harms to plants,19 birds, animals, • In 1986, FCC determined that, “based upon the Commission’s and insects20 (particularly pollinators and experience,” its authorizations and licensing of satellites bees21), and despite zero assessment of were categorically excluded under the National the harms from t. [...] FCC (DC Circuit, 2021) mitigate-orbital-space-debris-0 In 2020, the FCC decided not to require satellite companies 76465BF00F8BD85258730004EFDF7/$file/20-1025- to carry insurance (paragraph 135).