The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration stated through a reviewed letter that it will not replace its current telecommunications contractors Verizon and L3Harris with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service.
The FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated in his July 16 letter that the FAA remains unaware of SpaceX attempting to take over telecommunications contracts. The FAA has not evaluated SpaceX as a potential substitute for the current telecommunications contract winners.
The FAA issued this statement because people wondered if Starlink—the satellite internet division of SpaceX—was attempting to enter government telecom infrastructure markets.
The FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the agency would not depend on any satellite-based service for its critical communication needs. The air traffic management and aviation communications systems throughout the United States receive support from L3Harris and Verizon.
The fast growth of Starlink in residential and commercial markets continues to raise doubts about its ability to meet federal aviation requirements for high-reliability and low-latency communications. The FAA explained that any upcoming vendor changes would need to undergo a thorough technical evaluation and procurement process.
The clarification emerges as lawmakers examine federal telecom contracts while SpaceX expands its defense and government technology operations through satellite communications for commercial and military applications.
