News ReleaseUkrainian-American Organization Demands Immediate FCC Investigation into SpaceX; Citing Musk’s Meddling in Ukraine, Erratic Behavior, and Illegal Drug Use
Ukrainian Congress Committee of America
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Inc. (UCCA) has filed in opposition to the allocation of additional spectrum to SpaceX, and called for an immediate investigation into the behavior of the company’s largest shareholder Elon Musk in the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulemaking to open the 1.6/2.4 GHz band to new entrants. The non-profit, non-partisan organization called on the FCC to determine if it should place restrictions on Elon Musk’s control, management, or involvement in Starlink, or revoke the company’s license entirely, following erratic behavior and chronic use of illegal drugs that place Musk’s qualifications to operate FCC licensed facilities into question. “At the heart of the matter is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that any company which is granted the privilege of operating on public airwaves meets certain qualifications and serves the public interest,” said Arthur Belendiuk, UCCA’s lead regulatory attorney. “Musk has used the company’s FCC licenses to support the military of a foreign power that is actively engaged in an illegal war and who has committed countless war crimes. Offering military aid to Russia is just the tip of the iceberg in a pattern of repeated abuse of the Starlink system—behavior which demands an immediate FCC investigation.” As an FCC licensee, SpaceX has the basic statutory duty to conduct its operations in the public interest. As UCCA’s filing outlines, numerous examples show that the company has not met that standard. In Musk’s role as chief apologist for indicted war criminal Vladimir Putin, he has used the Starlink network to illegally meddle in U.S. Foreign Policy: According to reports, Elon Musk refused a Ukrainian Armed Forces request to activate his Starlink satellite network in Crimea's port city of Sevastopol to aid an attack on Russia's fleet (page 3). Disabling the Starlink service and allowing Ukrainian civilians to be murdered by Russian missiles is unconscionable. However, Musk was not done. Despite warnings from U.S. Senators to stop interfering on the side of Russia, Musk has now made the Starlink system available to the Russian military (page 4). This begs the question, why does Musk believe that he has the authority to engage in U.S. foreign policy? Not only is Musk making decisions concerning Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but he is also engaging with China, often in ways that violate U.S. foreign policy. For example, Musk was recently accused of withholding internet service in Taiwan (page 6). Musk’s chronic use of illegal drugs also places his qualifications as an FCC licensee in jeopardy. Illegal drug use by FCC licensees, “either on or off-station premises,” is historically a matter of grave concern to the Commission. In prior proceedings, if the FCC found that a licensee “continued to deliberately flout Commission rules or was irremediably incompetent,” the regulator has acted to revoke licenses. The filing outlines reports of Musk’s use of mind-altering LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine, and psychedelic mushrooms. The group goes on to say, “[w]hen the controlling shareholder is acting erratically, believes he has the authority to set U.S. foreign policy and admits to taking drugs including taking drugs with board members and officers, it is reasonable to conclude that Musk and his management team lack the basic competence to remain FCC licensees.” UCCA’s landmark filing seeks to hold licensees like SpaceX accountable by calling for an immediate FCC investigation into multiple accusations of disqualifying conduct. Until an investigation can be completed, UCCA calls on the FCC to stop processing all Starlink applications and require Musk to step down from any management, control, or decision-making authority concerning the Starlink system. “Why is Musk shilling for Russia? More importantly, why is critical communications and defense infrastructure in the hands of a drug addled conspiracy theorist who thinks he has the power to dictate U.S. foreign policy,” UCCA’s filing concludes. A copy of UCCA’s comment is available here. The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Inc., is an umbrella organization that unites nearly 30 Ukrainian-American organizations and represents the interests of approximately two million Americans of Ukrainian descent. UCCA is a non-profit, nonpartisan community-based organization with local all-volunteer chapters across the United States. Contact Details Raynor Ave. Aaron Alberico +1 202-744-0786 aalberico@raynoravenue.com Company Website https://ucca.org/
April 24, 2024 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time
