Stop for Starlink. On Tuesday, April 5, the internet access service via satellite launched by Elon Musk lost its permission to operate the French frequency bands. Indeed, the Council of State ruled in favor of environmental associations, which had appealed the American billionaire’s project.
Thus, in its decision published on Tuesday, the Administrative Court overturned a decision of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Communications (Arcep), which assigned two frequency bands to Starlink in France, reports news reporter† In question ? Arcep wouldn’t have performed it “public consultation” before granting this grant, while this one could have “effects on the market for the provision of high-speed internet access and affect the interests of end users”.
For the two associations that had appealed against Starlink, Priartem and Agir pour l’environnement, this verdict is a victory. †The Council of State sends a signal to those who confuse speed with haste“, estimates Stephen Kerckhove, Acting for the Environment General Representative, quoted by Le Figaro† “It is time for the government to stop pushing such issues and finally accept the necessary public debate”added Sophie Pelletier, President of Priartem, recalling the need to conduct environmental assessments.
A highly criticized project
According to Maître François Lafforgue, the lawyer of the two associations, this decision of the Council of State prohibits Elon Musk’s company from using the allocated frequencies and thus offering its services in France. As a reminder, Starlink’s ambition was to provide high-speed Internet connectivity around the world, thanks to a constellation of 42,000 satellites. While this offering is attractive to people living in white areas, it has been widely criticized for its effects on light pollution and endangering terrestrial space, he recalls. news reporter†