(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Elon Musk appears to be walking back his criticism of Verizon since the carrier's technology has yet to be installed in the FAA systems. In a follow-up tweet, the SpaceX CEO wrote: "Correction: the ancient system [at the FAA] that is rapidly declining in capability was made [by] L3Harris. The new system that is not yet operational is from Verizon."
Original Story:
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is going out of his way to criticize Verizon’s contract with the Federal Aviation Administration in an apparent push to expand the use of Starlink for air traffic control.
Musk today slammed Verizon's technology after The Washington Post reported that the FAA is "close to canceling" a $2.4 billion contract for Verizon to upgrade the agency's communication networks.
"To be clear here, the Verizon communication system to air traffic control is breaking down very rapidly. The FAA assessment is single digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk,” Musk tweeted, without offering direct evidence.
The SpaceX CEO then commented on how the FAA is reportedly receiving 4,000 Starlink dishes with the goal of installing them within a year at various sites. “The Starlink terminals are being sent at NO COST to the taxpayer on an emergency basis to restore air traffic control connectivity,” Musk said. “The situation is extremely dire.”
But in response, Verizon told PCMag: "To be clear, the FAA systems currently in place are run by L3Harris and not Verizon. Our company is working on building the next generation system for the FAA which will support the Agency's mission for safe and secure air travel."
Still, the news raises concerns about Musk's influence on government contracts and the potential for his own companies to pick them up.
In 2023, the FAA awarded Verizon the $2 billion, 15-year contract to build a next-generation communications platform, including handling air traffic management. A video from the FAA explains that the agency’s existing network relies on “outdated legacy copper infrastructure,” which can suffer from outages. (L3Harris received an earlier contract to improve FAA communications in 2012.)
Verizon was charged with helping air traffic control centers migrate to higher-bandwidth and more secure networks, which would include installing high-speed optical fiber. But the Post reports that Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team has been pushing for Starlink to take over the Verizon contract.
“Several senior FAA officials have refused to sign paperwork authorizing the switch, according to [a] person who has been briefed on the internal deliberations and resulting fallout," the Post says.
The FAA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the agency said it's testing Starlink “at its facility in Atlantic City and two terminals at non-safety critical sites in Alaska.”
In the meantime, Verizon adds: "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. We continue to partner with the FAA on achieving its modernization objectives."