A bill that would shut blacklisted vendors out of the US satellite market cleared the Senate on September 23 without objection, moving S. 1962 back to the House.
Fischer, a Nebraska Republican, wrote the bill. Her target is the 2019 law that pushed Chinese gear off American telecom networks, and she wants satellites and their earth stations covered by the same restriction. Firms on the FCC’s Covered List, and their affiliates, would be locked out of licenses and US market access. Huawei, ZTE, China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom already sit on that roster.
Why orbit became the next gate
The 2019 law reached terrestrial networks. Satellite constellations and the ground gateways that connect them sat outside its scope. The bill covers geostationary and non-geostationary systems alike and pulls gateway stations in.
The prohibition applies to licenses and authorizations issued after enactment. The FCC would get one year to write implementing rules.
Fischer, who chairs the Senate Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications and media, said foreign adversaries were working constantly to infiltrate American networks. Her committee advanced the bill in April.
The vote lands as satellite connectivity merges with commercial mobile networks. Operators are pushing direct-to-device services, and standards bodies are still building the certification frameworks those links will need.
