Cronyism, anyone?

Summary

The FAA is reportedly set to cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to modernize air traffic control communications and instead award it to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Musk has publicly criticized Verizon’s system as failing, though without evidence. SpaceX employees have been embedded within the FAA, and some now have agency email addresses.

The move raises concerns about favoritism and conflicts of interest, especially as Musk’s companies have received $38 billion in government funding.

The contract transfer has not followed standard procedures, prompting resistance from senior FAA officials.

  • 800XL@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    We call this a conflict of interest. Fuck Musk. Guess whose planes will never show up in flight logs so he, Trump, and all of Putin’s other stooges can fly around and make deals with no bother.

  • Billiam@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    Musk doesn’t care anymore if he tanks Tesla, as long as he’s getting government handouts.

  • Majorllama@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    I have no love for Verizon but using starlink is the definition of a conflict of interest. I mean so has everything else he’s been doing but this one is especially egregious.

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    An overhaul from the man who sells “full self driving”. What could possibly go wrong? 🙄

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    Some might think this is corruption, but I assure you, this was the best offer we could find, because all the others got lost somehow?

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    I hope Verizon sues Musk, Starlink, and the DOGE into oblivion. Even if they don’t have a chance of winning, they should be able to make it more difficult to do anything. Airlines should sue too due to the preventable crashes that occurred recently. In fact, I hope every company affected by DOGE’s policies sues.

    They might not be able to get a fair trial, but they could potentially bog the system down in red tape.

    Give ‘em Hell!

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    So

    • replace wires with satellite
    • which can fail or be slow
    • just so musk can shut it off at a whim

    This gonna be great, you guys.

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
      0·
      2 months ago

      I came here to say this. This doesn’t look like replacing the air controller work, it’s about the comm network. And it’s making it dependent on fucking micro satellites, holy dumb shovel buckets.

    • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
      0·
      2 months ago

      Sorry, all flights grounded because solar flares. At least we only lost 20 planes this time.

      Sorry, all flights grounded because some fuckwit decided to use satellites for a network instead of fiber underground and a bad actor jammed the radio spectrum.

      Sorry, all flights are grounded because Elmo Muskrat got in a pissy fit on Twitter with a 15 year old kid, and he showed him by shutting off the satellite network over the US. (Variation on your last bullet.)

  • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 months ago

    “This is your captain speaking. I’m afraid we’re going to be a little bit delayed here because we’ve lost connection to the Starlink satellites that provide our communication. We’ll be pushing back from the gate just as soon as the weather clears a bit.”

  • magnetosphere@fedia.io
    0·
    2 months ago

    Oh, THERE it is. This is why Elump has allowed so many air traffic control issues recently. To set the stage for this bullshit.

    Sorry, I’m kinda slow sometimes.

    • dellish@lemmy.world
      0·
      2 months ago

      “Allowed”? In what sense? Are you seriously suggesting Trump or Musk are responsible for a Delta crash in Canada, and helicopter collision and a Southwest go around?

      • magnetosphere@fedia.io
        0·
        2 months ago

        In the sense that the issue isn’t being addressed as quickly or as seriously as it should be. Cancelling a contract and awarding it to a company with zero experience is not the answer.

  • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    2 months ago

    Um, I’d like to choose whatever the fuck might be behind door number 3. Even if it’s murder hornets. As long as they are the data transmission sort of murder hornets.

    • Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      This is NOT at all Corruption and in fact the United States Of American has NO Corruption at all and is the CLEANEST country in the World.