Congress asks FCC to unlock satellite data for farmers
H.R. 1618 — Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act · Filed by Robert Latta (R-OH) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 26, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill directs the Federal Communications Commission to review its rules governing satellite services (fixed, mobile, and earth-exploration satellites) to identify changes that could support precision agriculture—the use of data and technology to optimize farming. The FCC must report its findings and recommendations to Congress within 15 months. The bill creates no new rules itself; it is a directive for study and recommendations.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a procedural mandate requiring regulatory review and recommendations, not a substantive rule change or appropriation. Its purpose is to identify how existing FCC authority could support precision agriculture via satellite connectivity.
What the text implies
- A favorable FCC report could accelerate spectrum allocation or licensing changes favoring satellite operators serving agricultural markets, potentially benefiting companies like Viasat, Intelsat, or emerging rural-broadband satellite providers.
- The study may identify regulatory barriers to low-cost satellite data services for small and mid-size farms, potentially expanding market access for agricultural-tech startups and satellite operators.
- Recommendations could influence future FCC rulemaking on satellite-service licensing, interference rules, or frequency bands, affecting competitive dynamics in the satellite industry.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Precision agriculture can reduce input costs, improve yields, and lower environmental impact for farmers and rural communities. Directing the FCC to study how satellite connectivity rules might support this technology expands access to data infrastructure that benefits agricultural productivity and sustainability. No direct cost to citizens; the bill is a study mandate with potential downstream public benefit.
Who stands to gain
- satellite operators (fixed, mobile, and earth-exploration services)
- precision agriculture technology providers
- agricultural equipment manufacturers integrating satellite data
- rural broadband service providers
Named in the bill
Federal Communications Commission (FCC), House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, fixed satellite service operators, mobile satellite service operators, earth exploration satellite service operators
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Feb 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
- Mar 4, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Mar 4, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote”
- Jul 14, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3211)”
- Jul 14, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Latta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
2 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $780,409 in lobbying spend. A filing names 30 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.
Robert Latta, the sponsor, reported $876,626 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Farm Bureau Fed — $720,409 on 3 filings
- Gps Innovation Alliance — $60,000 on 2 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,214 characters) on Apr 10, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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