FILE PHOTO: The Verizon logo is seen on the side of a truck in New York City, U.S., October 13, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration told lawmakers it is not considering replacing the telecommunication contracts it holds with L3Harris and Verizon Communications with the services of the Starlink unit of Elon Musk's SpaceX.
"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," FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a letter to lawmakers dated Tuesday and seen by Reuters. "FAA would not use Starlink (or any satellite service) as the sole communications technology for safety-critical air traffic services."
Congress has approved $12.5 billion to overhaul air traffic control, including billions to upgrade telecommunications equipment.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday that more than 90% of the telecom funds would be used to replace copper with fiber.
"That was the mission - not some competitive advantage to Starlink," Duffy said.
Duffy reiterated that U.S. telecom companies have agreed to stop charging the FAA obsolescence fees of $800 million annually to keep the agency's copper wire system running as it shifts to fiber and upgrades its network.
In March, Starlink said the company's services were a "possible partial fix to an aging system. There is no effort or intent for Starlink to 'take over' any existing contract."
Many Democrats suggested previously that the FAA might cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon and give it to Starlink, citing the role of Musk, who was heading up the Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting operation and who had criticized the current FAA telecom system.
Musk's relationship with President Donald Trump began to unravel in late May over the president's spending plans, and the two are now locked in a feud.
The FAA has been testing a few dozen Starlink terminals through its Telecommunications Infrastructure program, which is managed through a contract with L3Harris.
The FAA's Bedford said the agency asked L3Harris to evaluate a range of capabilities and technologies, including fiber, wireless and satellite, to modernize and improve telecommunications reliability provided by approximately 200 companies, including Starlink.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
