Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76.djvu/467

 76 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 87-624-AUG. 31, 1962

419

Public Law 87-624 AN ACT

To provide for the establishment, ownership, operation, and regulation of a commercial communications satellite system, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Seriate and House of Representatives United States of America in Congress assembled,

August 31, 1962 [H. R. IIO40]

of the

TITLE I—SHOBT TITLE, DECLARATION OF POLICY AND DEFINITIONS SHORT TITLE

SEC. 101. This Act may be cited as the "Communications Satellite communications Act of 1962". fS*'""* ^*^* **' DECLARATION OF POLICY A N D PURPOSE

SEC. 102. (a) The Congress hereby declares that it is the policy of the United States to establish, in conjunction and in cooperation with other countries, as expeditiously as practicable a commercial communications satellite system, as part of an improved global communications network, which will be responsive to public needs and national objectives, which will serve the communication needs of the United States and other countries, and which will contribute to world peace and understanding. (b) The new and expanded telecommunication services are to be made available as promptly as possible and are to be extended to provide global coverage at the earliest practicable date. In effectuating this program, care and attention will be directed toward providing such services to economically less developed countries and areas as well as those more highly developed, toward efficient and economical use of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum, and toward the reflection of the benefits of this new technology in both quality of services and charges for such services. (c) I n order to facilitate this development and to provide for the widest possible participation by private enterprise, United States participation in the global system shall be in the form of a private corporation, subject to appropriate governmental regulation. I t is the intent of Congress that all authorized users shall have nondiscriminatory access to the system; that maximum competition be maintained in the provision of equipment and services utilized by the system; that the corporation created under this Act be so organized and operated as to maintain and strengthen competition in the provision of communications services to the public; and that the activities of the corporation created under this Act and of the persons or companies participating in the ownership of the corporation shall be consistent with the Federal antitrust laws. (d) I t is not the intent of Congress by this Act to preclude the use of the commun cations satellite system for domestic communication services where consistent with the provisions of this Act nor to preclude the creation of additional communications satellite systems, if required to meet unique governmental needs or if otherwise required in the national interest. DEFINITIONS

SEC. 103. A S used in this Act, and unless the context otherwise requires— (1) the term "communications satellite system" refers to a system of communications satellites in space.whose purpose is to relay telecommunication information between satellite terminal sta-

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