The country’s regulator notified Starlink of potential sanctions, including possible license revocation, for refusing to block X.
Brazil’s telecommunications regulator Anatel warned Elon Musk’s Starlink of possible sanctions, including a revocation of the satellite internet provider’s operating license, if satellite internet provider refuses to block the X social media platform.
A spokesperson for Anatel told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement on Sept. 2 that Starlink had indicated its intention to refuse to comply with an order from the Supreme Court of Brazil to shut down X in the country.
The spokesperson added that Anatel had told all telecoms operators in Brazil that they must comply with the order to block access to X and that the regulator is in the process of verifying compliance with the requirement by more than 20,000 companies, including Starlink.
The regulator notified providers on Aug. 31 that they have five days to comply with the shutdown order, the spokesperson said, adding that possible sanctions for non-compliance including a warning, temporary suspension, or revocation of operating license.
The Anatel spokesperson added that Starlink had not formally communicated to Anatel its intention to buck the ban, declaring its intention to do so “informally” to Carlos Baigorri, who serves as president of the Anatel board of directors.
Meanwhile, another senior Anatel official, Artur Coimbra, told Reuters on Sept. 2 that Starlink is currently the only operator refusing to block access to X for Brazil’s 20 million or so users.
Starlink, which said on Aug. 29 that its assets had been frozen in Brazil, reportedly told Coimbra that it would not comply with the order to shut down X until the asset freeze is lifted.
A request for comment on the possible sanctions, sent to SpaceX, which operates Starlink, was not immediately returned.
The warning issued by the Brazilian telecoms regulator marks the latest salvo in a long-running dispute between Brazilian officials and X owner Elon Musk, who has refused to comply with court orders to block accounts accused by investigators of spreading hate and misinformation. Both Musk and X’s global government affairs team have denounced these orders as unlawful attempts at censorship.
