Connect Everyone Coalition Pushes for Ending Duplicative Space Rules

The Amazon-backed Connect Everyone Coalition is pressing agencies including the FCC, DOD and Commerce and Transportation departments to do away with some of the duplicative regulatory approvals needed for space launch activity. In a letter to the agencies Tuesday, the coalition said the separate approvals necessary for launch authorization often involve "uncoordinated timelines and conflicting requirements." Space approvals also often require submitting nearly identical environmental assessments to multiple agencies, when there should be a shared environmental review, it argued. In addition, the group complained about safety reviews done by multiple agencies for launch range safety determinations and "a persistent lack of transparency around launch scheduling and delay decisions." Changes such as a transparent launch coordination mechanism and shared standards and full reciprocity for range safety determinations across federal agencies "will let operators build, lead, innovate and create value for the American people."