A bill to amend the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to strike the privatization criteria for INTELSAT separated entities, remove certain restrictions on separated and successor entities to INTELSAT, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-s-1282
Sponsor: Sen. Burns, Conrad R. [R-MT]
Introduced: 2005-06-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Commerce
Communication satellites
Competition
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Corporation directors
Corporations
Executives
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Governmental investigations
International competitiveness
Nontariff trade barriers
Privatization
Space activities

Summary:
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: 
Amends title VI (Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act or ORBIT Act) of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962, concerning INTELSAT (a global satellite provider of voice, data, and Internet services) and Inmarsat (a global mobile satellite communications provider), to prohibit any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories. (Current law prohibits any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories or former signatories or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any signatories or former signatories, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.) Strikes provsions that prohibited a separated entity from having officers or directors, who are either officers or managers of any intergovernmental organization or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any international organization, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.
 
Requires the United States to preserve the space segment capacity of the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System).
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission to review competitive market conditions of domestic and international satellite communications services and include in an annual report an analysis of those conditions.

action_date: 2005-06-21
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Amends title VI (Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act or ORBIT Act) of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962, concerning INTELSAT (a global satellite provider of voice, data, and Internet services) and Inmarsat (a global mobile satellite communications provider), to prohibit any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories. (Current law prohibits any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories or former signatories or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any signatories or former signatories, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.) Strikes provsions that prohibited a separated entity from having officers or directors, who are either officers or managers of any intergovernmental organization or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any international organization, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.
 
Requires the United States to preserve the space segment capacity of the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System).
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission to review competitive market conditions of domestic and international satellite communications services and include in an annual report an analysis of those conditions.

action_date: 2005-06-29
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Amends title VI (Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act or ORBIT Act) of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962, concerning INTELSAT (a global satellite provider of voice, data, and Internet services) and Inmarsat (a global mobile satellite communications provider), to prohibit any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories. (Current law prohibits any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories or former signatories or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any signatories or former signatories, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.) Strikes provsions that prohibited a separated entity from having officers or directors, who are either officers or managers of any intergovernmental organization or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any international organization, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.
 
Requires the United States to preserve the space segment capacity of the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System).
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission to review competitive market conditions of domestic and international satellite communications services and include in an annual report an analysis of those conditions.

action_date: 2005-07-12
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Amends title VI (Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act or ORBIT Act) of the Communications Satellite Act of 1962, concerning INTELSAT (a global satellite provider of voice, data, and Internet services) and Inmarsat (a global mobile satellite communications provider), to prohibit any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories. (Current law prohibits any successor entity or separated entity from having officers or managers who are officers or managers of any signatories or former signatories or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any signatories or former signatories, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.) Strikes provsions that prohibited a separated entity from having officers or directors, who are either officers or managers of any intergovernmental organization or who have any direct financial interest in or financial relationship to any international organization, except that such interest may be managed through a blind trust or similar mechanism.
 
Requires the United States to preserve the space segment capacity of the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System).
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review competitive market conditions of domestic and international satellite communications services and include in an annual report an analysis of those conditions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-12
text: Became Public Law No: 109-34.
action_date: 2005-07-12
text: Became Public Law No: 109-34.
action_date: 2005-07-12
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2005-07-12
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2005-06-30
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Cleared for White House.
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: On passage Passed without objection. (text: CR H5372)
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed without objection.(text: CR H5372)
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged. (consideration: CR H5372)
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged.(consideration: CR H5372)
action_date: 2005-06-29
text: Mr. Barton (TX) asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6977-6978; text as passed Senate: CR S6977-6978)
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S6977-6978; text as passed Senate: CR S6977-6978)
action_date: 2005-06-21
text: Introduced in Senate

Enacted as: number: 109-34