This volume brings together international experts to address the policy, legal, and technological dimensions of governing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband infrastructure. Global Governance of Low Earth Orbit Satellites is grounded in a multi-year, interdisciplinary research project generously supported by the Internet Society Foundation as part of its “Decolonizing the Internet” program. The contributions presented in this book were developed through a combination of scholarly inquiry, open-access reports, and sustained engagement at key international forums—including the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the European Society of International Law (ESIL), ICANN, RightsCon, and IETF. Together, these chapters reflect on how multistakeholder institutions can respond to urgent global challenges related to transnational data governance, cybersecurity, digital inclusion, and infrastructural equity. The volume serves as both a scholarly compendium and a practical policy guide for advancing sustainable, inclusive, and secure governance of emerging space-based internet systems. This document is an output from a project funded by the Internet Society Foundation. It was supported by the Internet Society Foundation project G-202307-12461 “Satellite Internet: Trust and Data Governance” and builds upon research completed under project G-202107-04813 “Decolonizing the Internet: Global Governance of LEO Satellite Broadband”.

Preface 7 Joanna Kulesza, Berna Akcali Gur Contributors 9 Introduction 13 Berna Akcali Gur, Joanna Kulesza SECTION I 21 Understanding Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites and Policy Issues 23 Dan York Historical Reflections & an Economic Approach to LEOs as Infrastructure 33 Jonathan Liebenau SECTION II 47 Low Orbit Blues: The Noir in Cybersecurity 49 Roy Balleste Making Strides Towards Space Security in Low Earth Orbit 73 Laetitia Cesari Developing a Cybersecurity Policy for Low Earth Orbit Satellite Broadband: An International Law Perspective101 Berna Akcali Gur, Joanna Kulesza SECTION III 123 The Gradual Dependence on Starlink and Its Impacton the Digital Organization of Arctic Territories in Canada 125 Célestine R. Rabouam The Role of LEO Satellites for the (Cyber)Security Policies of Authoritarian States: The Case of Iran145 Monika Stachoń How Starlink Has Impacted Connectivity Initiatives in Africa 171 Jason Bonsall SECTION IV 205 Insights from the Internet – How to Govern Outer Space 207 Mallory Knodel Conclusions 215 Joanna Kulesza, Berna Akcali Gur