In October, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) brought together NOAA licensees and prospective licensees and representatives from across the federal government for a workshop on U.S. satellite licensing and compliance regulations. The first of its kind, this three-day event was designed to promote transparency and awareness about government processes and to improve engagement with regulators. The event received widespread support from senior government officials and was well attended by industry.

The workshop included presentations about the activities of the remote sensing working groups of the Department of State, Department of Defense, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Attendees also heard from: the Committee on Foreign Investment and Office of Foreign Assets Control with respect to foreign investors and transactions; the Federal Communications Commission and International Telecommunication Union with respect to radiofrequency communications licensing and requirements; and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security regarding ITAR and EAR restrictions and regulations.

Following the workshop, NOAA’s Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES) held one of its regular meetings. At the meeting, ACCRES examined trends in NOAA’s licensing efforts over recent years, and also introduced new committee members, including Tony Lin, Counsel in the Communications, Internet and Media group at Hogan Lovells.

Presentations from the workshop are available here.

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