Exploring the Unknown - NASA's History Office

102
I am bending every effort to clarify this situation and achieve unified government
action to overcome the growing obstacles. Among my proposals are the following:
a. Give first priority to development of INTELSAT and the international system. This
is in conformance with U.S. policy and statute.
b. Emphasize the great advantages of the single global system. [bolded passages
were highlighted with a marker in the original] (There is no regional need which
the single global system cannot meet with better service at lower cost, with better
spectrum conservation.)
[ii] c. Provide greater U.S. aid to developing nations in getting earth stations.
d. Develop as rapidly as possible the practical use of the higher (and less used) frequency
bands for exclusive use of large domestic satellite systems. Service to be
available in 4–5 years.
e. Use the INTELSAT system for early U.S. domestic service growth and ETV [educational
television] experiments.
f. Avoid FCC or Congressional action to constitute a separate U.S. domestic satellite
system for the immediate future.
g. Accelerate the development of low cost earth stations.
h. Accelerate the development of more efficient multiple access systems to reduce
the cost of communication to both rich and poor nations.
[1] A GLOBAL SYSTEM OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
— THE HAZARDS AHEAD —
THE U.S. COMMITMENT TO A SINGLE GLOBAL SYSTEM
BACKGROUND
The foundation of our communications satellite policy has been embodied in the
concept of a single global system to which all nations could have equal access, and
through which international communications could flow free of artificial constraints held
over from the colonial traditions of past centuries. The concept stems both from the policy
objectives established by the Congress and from our international agreements.
THE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE ACT OF 1962
Declaration of Policy and Purpose
THE HISTORY OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
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 telecommunications 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