Export Control Changes Debated in Satellite Industry

Regulatory change is never smooth or easy as evidenced by the pending export control reforms affecting the U.S. satellite industry. It will likely take another year for these reforms to take effect and already manufacturers are pushing for additional changes. Among the key issues is the status of military hosted payloads, which will continue to be treated as munitions under the proposed rule. U.S. satellite companies have been advocating for hosted payloads riding “piggyback” on commercial communications platforms, reasoning that this is less expensive than building dedicated satellites for the Pentagon to field its communications relays and mapping sensors. See more details in Aviation Week at: http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=%2Farticle-xml%2FAW_03_25_2013_p34-560945.xml&goback=%2Egde_1826634_member_227031703