Export Controls: Change in Licensing Jurisdiction for Commercial Communications Satellites

GAO discussed the military sensitivity of commercial communications satellites and the implications of the 1996 change in export licensing jurisdiction, focusing on: (1) key elements in the export control systems of the Departments of Commerce and State; (2) how export controls for commercial satellites have evolved over the years; (3) the concerns and issues debated over the transfer of commercial communications satellites to the export licensing jurisdiction of Commerce; (4) the safeguards that may be applied to commercial satellite exports; and (5) observations on the current export control system.