PUBLIC LAW 97-324—OCT. 15, 1982
96 STAT. 1601
TITLE II SEC. 201. (a) The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized to plan and provide for the management and operation of a civil land remote sensing satellite system, including the LANDSAT D and D' satellites and associated ground system equipment transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; to provide for user fees; and to plan for the transfer of the ownership and operation of civil operational land remote sensing satellite systems by the private sector when in the national interest. The provisions of this subsection expire September 30, 1984. (b)(1) As part of his planning for the transfer of the ownership and operation of civil operational land remote sensing satellite systems to the private sector the Secretary shall— (A) Conduct a study to define the current, projected, and potential needs of the government for land remote sensing data. (B) Determine and describe the equipment, software, and data inventory that could be transferred to the private sector. (C) Compare various feasible financial and organizational approaches for such a transfer. Criteria for the comparison should include considerations such as: maintenance of data continuity; maintenance of United States leadership; national security; international obligations; potential for market growth; marketing ability; sunk and projected cost to the Government; independence of subsidy or financial guarantee from the Government; potential of financial return to the Government; and price of data to users. The following institutional alternatives should be compared: (i) wholly private ownership and operation of the system by an entity competitively selected; (ii) phased-in Government/private ownership and operation; (iii) a legislatively chartered privately owned corporation; and (iv) continued ownership and operation by the Federal Government. The Secretary shall complete these studies and report on them to the Congress by February 1, 1983. (2) In addition to the studies and comparisons called for in section 201(b)(1) the Secretary shall fund at least two parallel studies outside the government independently to assess the alternatives called for in section 201(b)(lKC). These studies should be submitted to the Congress by April 1, 1983. (c) There is authorized to be appropriated $14,955,000 for the fiscal year 1983, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this title. (d) No moneys authorized by this title shall be used to transfer to the private sector the ownership or management of any civil land remote sensing space satellite system and associated ground system equipment unless (A) a period of thirty days has passed after the receipt by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the House Committee on Science and Technol-
Civil land remote sensing satellite systems. 15 USC 1517 note.
Expiration.
Study.
Report to Congress. Parallel studies, submittal to Congress.
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