One of President Donald Trump’s top officials has warned European allies hesitant about working with Elon Musk’s satellite internet company that they needed to choose between US and Chinese technology. Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr told the Financial Times that “allied western democracies” needed to “focus on the real long-term bogey: the rise of the Chinese Communist party”. His comments come as European governments and some European companies consider whether Starlink — which is owned by Musk’s SpaceX and provides satellite broadband and limited mobile services — is a reliable partner after Washington threatened to switch off its services in Ukraine. Carr, a longtime ally of Musk who Trump tapped to run the agency after his re-election as president, said it was “unfortunate” that politics appeared to be influencing long-term decisions. “If you’re concerned about Starlink, just wait for the CCP’s version, then you’ll be really worried,” he said. UK telecoms companies BT and Virgin Media 02 are among the companies trialling Starlink’s technology for mobile or broadband services — although neither has yet signed a full agreement with the provider.

Full report : FCC Chair Brendan Carr says “allied western democracies” need to focus on China and those “concerned about Starlink” should be more fearful of a Chinese version.