No No On the Go Go

SpaceX is mired in a regulatory spat with Dish Network over alleged misuse of the former’s Starlink satellite internet service.

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Dish Network alleges SpaceX breaks FCC rules by tacitly encouraging Starlink customers to use their dishes on moving vehicles.

“An increasing number of Starlink users are acting on SpaceX’s call to unauthorized activity, and are using their Starlink terminals in motion; and some of them are enthusiastically telling the world about it, further propagating the idea that nothing is wrong with this violation of Commission rules,” Dish wrote in the letter, which follows a separate complaint registered in May.

SpaceX is awaiting FCC clearance that would allow consumers to operate Starlink in moving cars, boats, and planes. Dish Network, however, claims SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has prematurely encouraged users to try their Starlink dishes on moving vehicles. The allegation cites a May 2022 tweet in which Musk wrote: “Starlink does work on vehicles in motion, including planes, but not yet reliably.” The tweet followed the launch of Starlink RV, which is [officially] designed solely for stationary purposes.

Dish Network alleges “these statements actively encourage and solicit Starlink customers to break these rules.” The company expressed further concerns about unauthorized mobile Starlink use interfering with Dish Network’s own satellite TV service, stating: “Starlink ESIMs (Earth Stations In Motion) may activate Starlink beams in areas where satellites would not otherwise have been active, threatening satellite television customers in the area.”

Endeavoring to substantiate its allegations, Dish Network referenced online photos—posted by Starlink customers—of Starlink dishes being used on moving boats and vehicles. Dish Network said of the photos: “Many others are likely doing the same without posting about it on social media, and many among the viewers are likely to emulate the unauthorized operations.”

Dish Network—in addition to calls for punitive measures—is prevailing upon the FCC to order SpaceX to publicly clarify that using Starlink in a moving vehicle is illegal.

FMI: www.starlink.com