FCC Chair Calls For More Competition In The Space Economy While Raising Concerns Over Musk’s Starlink Dominance
The head of the FCC, Jessica Rosenworcel is talking about the need for greater competition in the space economy. She hinted at Starlink’s dominant position and the only way to combat that monopoly behavior was to encourage more big names to step forward.
The current satellite internet ecosystem can only get better if competition gets stronger, she reiterated during her speech at the Global Aerospace Summit. The goal was to introduce more diverse services to hinder monopoly behavior.
The news comes after she was asked to put forward her thoughts on marketing competition in the industry. This is due to the heightened tensions between startups like Verizon and leading giants such as Starlink by SpaceX. It’s been confirmed that Verizon is in talks to roll out its own satellite services for cellular networks.
As per Rosenworcel, competition will also bring out more benefits economically. Prices get lowered and greater innovation is required as seen with other sectors. Hence, space shouldn’t be ignored.
While it was interesting to see her speak about SpaceX without actually naming Musk’s firm. She says that its rising dominance in today’s industry can shake things up. If only one player has the majority of satellites in space, we’re relying heavily on it. To be more specific, she explained how Musk is controlling a giant portion of internet traffic thanks to SpaceX.
The economy never benefits from monopoly, she warned, giving a clear message to SpaceX. She tried to calm things down by stating innovation is key in the world of space. It’s not surprising as Starlink just celebrated a milestone of 7000 satellites in space. Furthermore, Musk added that it would now be delivering nearly 90% of all internet traffic starting in 2025.
The technology has really assisted in bringing out the best high-speed connections to millions in different areas where internet broadband services were close to being nonexistent. It’s a blessing for many living in remote and rural locations.
Musk has similarly discussed the topic of innovation and how he welcomes competition in the world of space satellites as he feels his companies can only benefit further and get better with this. However, deep down inside it can only mean more careful plotting and planning because Starlink is at the forefront of the technology, and having archrivals can only endanger its leading position.
The US is also considering working with other democratic allies as that would assist in boosting the industry. They are aware of Taiwan’s alternative for Starlink so that should be interesting, the FCC chair commented.
Now the question is when we will be able to see their arrival because at the moment, it’s Starlink’s dominance and as per Musk, the company keeps getting bigger and better.
Image: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
