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Sens. Cruz and Welch Introduce Satellite Streamlining Act

Measure would require FCC satellite license decisions within one year.

Eric Urbach

Jan 16, 2026 — 1 min read

Illustration rendering a geostationary satellite orbiting Earth, from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2026 – Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Peter Welch, D-Vermont, introduced the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act on Wednesday.

It would update the Federal Communications Commission's application process to “remove regulatory barriers.”

The bill would require the FCC to decide on satellite licenses within one year and cap foreign system operation at 15 years in line with domestic limits, in an effort to incentivize commercial satellite providers to base operations in the U.S., according to a release.

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