After Musk Slams Starlink Competitor Verizon’s $2.4 Billion Deal With FAA, Democrats Cry Foul

Elon Musk is ramping up his attacks on Verizon, which is in charge of a $2.4 billion federal aviation contract with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) – while promoting his own satellite business, Starlink, as a solution.

Musk’s criticism of Verizon is happening while White House budget cutters are considering the future of the FAA.

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Musk took to X last week to criticize Verizon’s subpar work on a communications system for the FAA. He then pitched Starlink as an interim fix, saying the company would deliver communication terminals at no cost on an emergency basis.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) oversees the FAA, which is suffering from severe staffing and budget cuts.

Space X, Starlink’s parent company, is supporting an effort to rebuild the FAA’s air traffic control system, which was announced by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy last week.

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The conflict of interest drew warnings from Democrats. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) wrote to Duffy after announcing that a contract with Starlink would be an abuse of federal procurement laws.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) has introduced legislation preventing special government employees, like Musk, from having federal contracts.

Verizon spokesperson Rick Young responded to Musk’s remarks: “We are at the beginning of a multi-year contract to replace antiquated, legacy systems. Our teams have been working with the FAA’s technology teams and our solution stands ready to be deployed.”

Verizon is upgrading fiber optic cables of an existing system that enables FAA facilities to communicate with each other. 

“The Verizon system is not working, and so is putting air travelers at serious risk. To be clear here, the Verizon communication system to air traffic control is breaking down very rapidly,” Musk wrote on X.

Senate Democrats have been demanding answers from FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau about the agency’s plans to use Starlink for contracts.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) supports modernizing air traffic control, but he says it must be done without political inference.

The FAA’s aging technology and limited workforce have been criticized recently due to the deadly passenger jet and Army helicopter crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Jan. 29 and other plane scares that followed.