Turning the $2.4 billion project over to Musk’s company would be a major test of conflict-of-interest rules in government contracting.

Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday ordered staff “to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal” to upgrade air traffic control communications, anonymous sources have told Rolling Stone.

The $2.4 billion contract was awarded to Verizon in 2023, according to the Post, and upgrades the systems that allow FAA offices to communicate with air traffic control facilities. But Musk has been critical of Verizon in recent days,