US FAA not considering replacing L3Harris, Verizon contracts with Musk's Starlink

The Federal Aviation Administration told lawmakers it is not considering replacing its current telecommunication contracts it holds with L3Harris LHX or Verizon Communications VZ with Elon Musk's SpaceX's Starlink satellite unit.

"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," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in a letter to lawmakers dated Tuesday reviewed by Reuters. "FAA would not use Starlink (or any satellite service) as the sole communications technology for

safety-critical air traffic services."