House Hearing on Commercial Space Regulation, March 2017

The Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on March 8, 2017 on “Regulating Space: Innovation, Liberty, and International Obligations.”   The hearing centered on U.S. obligations under Article VI of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty to authorize and continually supervise the activities of non-governmental entities, like companies.   The only agreement that emerged from the hearing is that if there is to be any government regulation, it should have a light touch so that creativity and innovation are not stifled.   SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on March 13.   Witnesses were:

• Laura Montgomery, Attorney and Sole Proprietor, Ground Based Space Matters, LLC (and former Manager, Space Law Branch, FAA)
• Eli Dourado, Senior Research Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
• Doug Loverro, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, DOD
• Dennis Burnett, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Law
• Henry Hogue, Specialist in American National Government, Congressional Research Service