Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 1.djvu/499

 PUBLIC LAW 98-365—JULY 17, 1984

98 STAT. 451

Public Law 98-365 98th Congress An Act To establish a system to promote the use of land remote-sensing satellite data, and for other purposes.

July 17, 1984 [H.R. 5155]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act may Land RemoteSensing be cited as the "Land Remot&Sensing Commercialization Act of Commercializa1984". tion Act of 1984. TITLE I—DECLARATION OF FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND POLICIES

Communications and telecommunications. 15 USC 4201 note.

FINDINGS Congress. SEC. 101. The Congress Hnds and declares that— (1) the continuous civilian collection and utilization of land 15 USC 4201. remote-sensing data from space are of major benefit in managing the Earth^ natural resources and in planning and conducting many other activities of economic importance; (2) the Federal Government's experimental Landsat system Landsat system. has established the United States as the world leader in land remote-sensing technology; (3) the national interest of the United States lies in maintaining international leadership in civil remote sensing and in broadly promoting the beneficial use of remote-sensing data; (4) land remote sensing by the Government or private parties Defense and national of the United States affects internationed commitments and security. policies and national security concerns of the United States; (5) the broadest and most beneficial use of land remotesensing data will result from maintaining a policy of nondiscriminatory access to data; (6) competitive, market-driven private sector involvement in land remote sensing is in the national interest of the United States; (7) use of land remote-sensing data has been inhibited by slow market development and by the lack of assurance of data continuity; (8) the private sector, and in particular the "value-added" industry, is best suited to develop land remote-sensing data markets; (9) there is doubt that the private sector alone can currently develop a total land remote-sensing system because of the high risk and large capital expenditure involved; (10) cooperation between the Federal Government and private industry can help assure both data continuity and United States leadership; (11) the time is now appropriate to initiate such cooperation with phased transition to a fully commercial system; (12) such cooperation should be structured to involve the minimum practicable amount of support and regulation by the

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