# 119-s-3639: SAT Streamlining Act

119-s-3639, SAT Streamlining Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3639
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3639
- Congress: 119
- Title: SAT Streamlining Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Streamline and speed FCC licensing for satellites and related telecommunications.** This bill would create a new radiofrequency licensing framework that folds market access grants into standard authorization rules, sets firm decision deadlines, and builds in national‑security review paths. - Satellite operators and market-access applicants would face faster, clearer reviews. The FCC would need to issue final decisions for many space and earth station applications within 1 year and market access grants would be limited to 15 years. - State and local governments would be barred from regulating the rates charged by licensees or market-access grantees, creating uniform federal pricing rules. - Entities with reportable foreign ownership would be referred to the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector for security review and the FCC would coordinate with the Assistant Secretary to expedite or extend processing when needed.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-06-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Simpler notices for satellite links: benefit, medium. If enacted, NGSO operators would be able to add an authorized space station as a point of communication to a ground station by filing only a notice when no other ground‑station parameters change. They would not need to file a modification application for that addition. This would cut paperwork and…
- Faster FCC licensing and renewals: benefit, medium. If enacted, the FCC would have to write rules to carry out this law within one year. The FCC would check if applications are complete within 30 days and must grant or deny most space and earth‑station applications within one year. The FCC would also have a 180‑day deadline for renewals and shorter…
- New foreign ownership security reviews: mixed, medium. If enacted, the FCC would have to refer applicants with reportable foreign ownership that lack a prior review, or that changed ownership, to the federal security review committee. The FCC could also refer other applications at its discretion for national‑security and foreign‑ownership review. The b…
- Shorter market access terms and renewals: mixed, medium. If enacted, new grants of market access could not last more than 15 years and existing grants would expire no later than 15 years after enactment. The FCC could also create a simpler renewal path for grantees who remain in compliance and whose risk profile has not changed. Renewal terms generally c…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.
- 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California.

## Sources
- [119-s-3639 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3639)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3639 (as of 2026-09-10).