Two years after Verizon secured a $2 billion contract to improve the Federal Aviation Administration’s IT infrastructure, the company is switching to Starlink web terminals.
In a late-night X post-Monday, Starlink CEO Elon Musk stated that Verizon’s community was defective, asserting it was a security danger.
“The Verizon system just isn’t working and so is placing air vacationers at critical danger,” Mr. Musk posted.
The put up follows affirmation from the FAA on Monday that the Starlink terminals can be used to help air visitors controllers at two stations in Alaska. The FAA stated it has lengthy thought of utilizing Starlink know-how to extend security in distant areas.
Final week, Mr, Musk accepted the cargo of 400,000 Starlink terminals to be used by the FAA. The administration confirmed that one terminal is already getting used for testing on the FAA’s air visitors management lab in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey.
The FAA’s obvious shift to Starlink terminals comes two years after Verizon was awarded a contract price $2 billion to improve the administration’s crucial infrastructure. It’s unclear if the FAA’s use of Starlink terminals will complicate the administration’s contract with Verizon.
Officers have identified about the necessity to modernize the FAA’s air visitors management programs for years. In 2024, the Authorities Accountability Workplace urged the administration to quickly replace the three-quarters of its programs that it discovered to be unsustainable.
Final month’s mid-air collision between a navy helicopter and a regional jet has reinvigorated the struggle to improve the FAA’s getting older programs. President Trump has tapped Mr. Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity to work with the FAA to modernize the nation’s aviation programs.
Mr. Musk and his group of DOGE employees have spent many of the first month of the brand new Trump administration recommending cuts to a number of key federal companies and having access to troves of knowledge.
