Elon Musk Falsely Accuses Verizon of Compromising U.S. Air Safety

Billionaire and presidential adviser Elon Musk falsely accused Verizon, a rival contractor to his SpaceX Starlink system, of endangering U.S. air safety through a communications system that is actually operated by L3Harris.

Musk later admitted his mistake, acknowledging that Verizon does not operate the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) communications system.

“Correction: The ancient system that is rapidly declining in capability was made by L3Harris. The new system that is not yet operational is from Verizon,” Musk posted on social media.

Verizon, which operates the largest wireless network in the U.S., quickly refuted Musk’s initial claim, stating that it had only just begun work on the system.

Musk’s False Accusation

In his original post, Musk claimed, “The FAA assessment is single-digit months to catastrophic failure, putting air traveler safety at serious risk.”

Verizon promptly responded, clarifying that it had no role in the FAA’s current system:

“To be clear, the FAA systems currently in place are run by L3Harris and not Verizon. We are at the beginning of a multi-year contract to replace antiquated, legacy systems. Our teams have been working with the FAA’s technology teams, and our solution stands ready to be deployed.”

L3Harris has not yet commented on the situation.

FAA Contract Controversy

On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the FAA was considering canceling a $2.4 billion, 15-year contract awarded to Verizon in 2023 to overhaul its communications system. According to the report, the agency was exploring the possibility of shifting the contract to Musk’s Starlink, though the FAA has not made any formal decisions.

This week, the FAA confirmed it was testing three Starlink terminals at a government facility in Alaska to improve weather information reliability for the aviation community in the state.

“The FAA has been considering the use of Starlink since the prior administration to increase reliability at remote sites, including in Alaska,” the agency stated. However, it did not comment on Musk’s misleading tweet.

Government Restructuring and Musk’s Role

President Donald Trump recently appointed Musk to lead DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), a group focused on streamlining federal operations.

As part of this initiative, the FAA fired 350 employees last week, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy clarifying that none of those affected were air traffic controllers or personnel critical to aviation safety.

Additionally, a DOGE team of SpaceX engineers, acting as special government employees, visited FAA facilities last week.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, usatoday.com