FAA reportedly ordered staff to find millions of dollars to fund Starlink deal

According to Rolling Stone, employees with the Federal Aviation Administration were told on Friday to “begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal,” after The Washington Post reported that the FAA may cancel its $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to overhaul the US’s airspace management systems and go with Elon Musk’s company instead. Whether the FAA has actually dropped its Verizon deal in favor of Starlink has yet to be confirmed publicly. 

Anonymous sources told Rolling Stone that the orders from FAA officials on Friday were “delivered verbally” to staff, in an “unusual” move. It comes a few days after Musk claimed on X that the situation around air traffic control communications is “extremely dire,” saying the existing system (which he wrongly attributed to Verizon before later adding a correction) is “breaking down very rapidly.” He went on to say that “Starlink terminals are being sent at NO COST to the taxpayer on an emergency basis to restore air traffic control connectivity.”

Bloomberg, citing sources close to the matter, previously reported that 4,000 Starlink terminals were being sent to help upgrade the FAA’s networks, which the FAA confirmed. In a statement posted on X in response last week, the FAA claimed it’s “been considering the use of Starlink since the prior administration.” As recently as Wednesday, though, the FAA said in statements to The Washington Post and other publications that it had not made a decision about its Verizon deal. 

The agency is one of many that has been hit by layoffs led by Musk’s DOGE over the last few weeks, with hundreds of FAA employees fired in February.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/faa-reportedly-ordered-staff-to-find-millions-of-dollars-to-fund-starlink-deal-205236985.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/transportation/faa-reportedly-ordered-staff-to-find-millions-of-dollars-to-fund-starlink-deal-205236985.html?src=rss
Created 2mo | Mar 2, 2025, 10:40:14 PM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

The Morning After: Google gives Android its own show

Google I/O is usually where the company reveals what’s happening with its smartphone OS for the next 12 months, but this year, Android is getting its own thing. A week ahead of I/O, Google will dee

Apr 29, 2025, 12:40:33 PM | Engadget
US Congress passes 'Take It Down' revenge porn bill that also covers AI deepfakes

The US House of Representatives has passed the

Apr 29, 2025, 12:40:32 PM | Engadget
The best sous vide machine for 2025

For those looking to elevate their cooking, a sous vide machine might be the perfect addition to

Apr 29, 2025, 12:40:31 PM | Engadget
Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI

Duolingo is now going to be "AI-first," the company has announced — aka it will drop employees in favor of using AI. In a

Apr 29, 2025, 12:40:29 PM | Engadget
How to watch and follow LlamaCon 2025, Meta's first generative AI developer conference, today

After a couple years of having its open-source Llama AI model be just a part of its Connect conferences, Meta is breaking things out and hosting an entirely generative AI-focused developer conferen

Apr 29, 2025, 10:20:15 AM | Engadget
Wholesome Direct 2025 will premiere on June 7

Wholesome Direct, an annual showcase of cute and cozy games, is returning on Saturday, June 7 at 12PM ET / 9AM PT. This year's event will show off "a vibrant lineup of artistic, uplifting, and emot

Apr 28, 2025, 10:40:18 PM | Engadget
There’s a massive power outage cross Spain, Portugal and parts of France

Spain, Portugal and parts of France have experienced a

Apr 28, 2025, 8:30:19 PM | Engadget