(ORDO NEWS) — SpaceX has lost its right to provide Starlink broadband services in France after the country’s highest administrative court revoked its spectrum license.
The French Council of State ruled on April 5 that French telecommunications regulator ARCEP had to start public consultations before issuing a permit to Starlink in February 2021.
“By law, they must immediately stop [providing services] until ARCEP holds public consultations,” a spokesman for Conseil dEtat said.
ARCEP and SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
“ARCEP’s contested decision to issue a Starlink permit is likely to have a significant impact on the market for providing high-speed Internet access and affect the interests of end users,” Conseil dEtat said, and therefore they should have consulted with the public first.
The decision was made after Priartem and Agir Pour L “Environnement, two French environmental activist organizations, filed an appeal to challenge ARCEP’s decision to grant Starlink rights to frequencies.
Stephen Kerkhove, managing director of Agir pour l” Environnement (“Acting in the environment”), in a statement on April 6, called for increased regulation of megaconstellations to protect night sky views and reduce the risk of space debris.
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