Ask HN: Does Starlink Violate Antitrust?
4 caycep 1 6/17/2025, 5:38:55 PM
Given the geopolitical and also commercial concerns re Starlink, its widespread use and growing importance both in commercial and military fields, vs its monopolistic position and control by a small number of individuals without oversight - does it qualify for antitrust review and possible action?
Should it be broken off from the SpaceX parent, and launch availability be made available to other orbital telecom competitors?
For that matter, should SpaceX launch technologies be designated of some importance to national security, and the technologies turned into some open source or some other library of technologies to foster a healthier ecosystem of low cost reusable launch providers?
Remember, in the US, it's not actually illegal to be a monopoly. What's illegal is unfairly leveraging your monopoly position (things like threatening suppliers if they do business with a competitor, etc.)
Is SpaceX doing that sort of thing? I don't know, but I bet potential competitors are constantly assessing that.