It’s time for Europe to choose between US or Chinese satellite tech, says FCC chair

European allies who person reservations astir moving with Elon Musk’s Starlink volition person much to interest astir if they broadside with Chinese outer net services, Federal Communications Commission seat Brendan Carr told the Financial Times. Carr said that authorities having an power connected semipermanent decisions successful Europe was “unfortunate,” and that “allied Western democracies” should alternatively beryllium focusing connected “the existent semipermanent bogey: the emergence of the Chinese Communist party.”

“If you’re acrophobic astir Starlink, conscionable hold for the CCP’s version, past you’ll beryllium truly worried,” Carr told The Times. “If Europe has its ain outer constellation past great, I deliberation the much the better. But much broadly, I deliberation Europe is caught a small spot betwixt the US and China. And it’s benignant of clip for choosing.”

Starlink, which is owned by Musk’s SpaceX company, is the largest planetary outer constellation operator, providing net and constricted mobile connectivity via a web of 7,135 satellites. Some European governments and companies person suspended Starlink acquisition negotiations and started exploring different options successful caller weeks aft Musk said connected X that Ukraine’s “entire beforehand line” would illness if helium switched disconnected entree for the country. 

European alternatives could instrumentality years to drawback up with Starlink, however, with the frontrunner, France’s Eutelsat, operating astir a tenth arsenic galore satellites and charging astir 10 times much for its terminals. And portion China’s Low Earth orbit (LEO) mega constellation operator, Spacesail, lone presently has astir 90 satellites successful orbit, it’s making acold swifter advancement and plans to person launched 15,000 satellites by 2030, placing it successful a amended presumption to situation Starlink.

Carr told The Times that helium believes Europe is “caught” betwixt Washington and Beijing and that helium was acrophobic a “great divide” successful AI and outer exertion was opening betwixt “CCP-aligned countries and others.”

These comments travel amid escalating breakdowns successful the narration betwixt European governments and the US since Donald Trump came into powerfulness and bedded down with affluent US tech leaders. Carr said that European regulators — which person assorted ongoing investigations into Meta, Apple, Google, and X — had a “bias” against US tech companies. Carr besides accused the European Commission of “protectionism” and having an “anti-American” attitude, according to The Times.