The State Department reportedly pressured African countries to adopt Elon Musk’s Starlink
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Summary
The US State Department and embassies in Africa have been attempting to arrange meetings between Starlink executives and regulators to speed up licensing deals for the satellite internet company, in a bid to counter Chinese technological influence, according to ProPublica.
The diplomats are also dangling the threat of targeting government funds in these countries if they refuse to play ball, it is claimed.
One African nation, Gambia, appeared to resist the heavy pressure and a senior diplomat was dispatched to lobby the president in an effort to bypass the recalcitrant communications minister.
The former US diplomats who spoke to ProPublica say the actions of the State Department are deeply troubling and verge on “crony capitalism” or corruption.
However, an article in The Washington Post earlier this month revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio views Starlink as an important tool to counter China and suggested the strategy may have been coordinated with the former Trump White House.