Spacex Asks Us To Address Foreign Trade Barriers

The Elon Musk-owned company said that it has to pay foreign governments for access to spectrum, import duties on Starlink equipment and other regulatory fees, which artificially inflate operating costs abroad.

Starlink operates in more than 120 markets worldwide, though in some countries SpaceX must coordinate spectrum sharing with domestic satellite operators before activating the service.

The company described the requirements as a protectionist non-tariff trade barrier, in a letter to the US trade representatives office dated last Tuesday.

These anticompetitive policies have been used by foreign operators to block or slow SpaceX from providing a better quality and lower cost service to customers in those countries, Matt Dunn, SpaceXs senior director for global government affairs said in the letter.

SpaceXs concerns come amid broader tensions involving trade barriers for American companies.