FAA Will Respond 'Directly' to Blumenthal's Starlink Deal Concerns; House Dems Also Object
The FAA plans to respond “directly to” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., concerning his letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about the agency's proposed purchase of technology to communicate aviation weather information from SpaceX's Starlink, given CEO Elon Musk's influence within the Trump administration, a spokesperson said Friday (see 2502280055). The FAA is reportedly considering canceling a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon for that technology in favor of Starlink. House Transportation Committee ranking member Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Aviation Subcommittee member Sharice Davids, D-Kan., are also criticizing the proposal.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
“Government employees cannot profit from their own backroom deals,” Larsen said Friday night. “If the FAA cancels a long-term contract with Verizon in favor of Starlink while ignoring long-established protocol, that would stink of corruption. [House Transportation] must get to the bottom of what the hell is going on between the FAA and Starlink. The story just keeps getting worse.”
Davids said Monday that Musk's “reported interference in a competitively awarded FAA contract is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about conflicts of interest. Aviation safety -- not private gain -- must be the priority in our air traffic control system. The administration must ensure federal contracts are awarded through a fair and transparent process, not at the whim of a billionaire with political ties to those in power.”