The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed it is not considering Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink as a replacement for its existing telecommunications providers.
In a letter to lawmakers dated Tuesday and reviewed by Reuters, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated, “The FAA is not aware of any effort by SpaceX to assume the telecommunications contracts. Nor has FAA considered replacing the awardees of those contracts with SpaceX.”
The agency currently holds telecom contracts with L3Harris and Verizon Communications.
Bedford also clarified that the FAA would not rely solely on satellite-based services like Starlink for critical air traffic communications: “FAA would not use Starlink (or any satellite service) as the sole communications technology for safety-critical air traffic services.”
The clarification comes amid growing interest in satellite broadband technologies across various sectors, but the FAA emphasized its current approach prioritizes established, tested infrastructure for aviation safety.
