In the ever-evolving political hurly-burly, the administrative malaise currently eddying around Elon Musk attracts new attention. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr posits that this scrutiny is spurred by top-level political sentiment, tracing the origin back to President Biden. In a previous press conference, Biden purportedly alluded to Musk, stating his worthiness of purposeful observation, casting a wide net over the tactics that could be employed towards that scrutiny.
Since that moment there has been a veritable smorgasbord of fast-paced administrative flurries. A plethora of agencies from the DOJ to the Fish and Wildlife Services are reportedly investigating Musk and his ventures. Most notably, the FCC is causing a stir around Starlink, Musk's high-speed internet service project.
Recently, the FCC delivered a decision rebuking a 2020 award of nearly $1 billion meant to extend high-speed internet services to rural America. According to Carr, this decision came in contradiction of the facts, of the law and of policy. A new standard was reportedly created to evaluate the recipient of the award and, curiously, Musk's Starlink was the sole entity held to this measure.
This might cause some quarters to label the FCC's actions as a textbook example of an unconstitutional move against a single company operated by one person, sparking a flurry of political commentary. Musk, an entrepreneur with his fingers in multiple pies, maintains multiple cross-level interactions with the government. Nevertheless, observers have been prompted to scrutinize the merit of these actions, contributing to a growing chorus of scepticism.
In addition to the FCC's decision, the NLRB is evaluating Tesla for alleged dress code infringements, the FTC is seemingly investigating journalistic access to confidential information and the Fish and Wildlife Services are investigating a minor environmental mishap in association with a SpaceX launch.
While some dismiss these as ordinary government interactions for a multi-industry entrepreneur, others are raising eyebrows over what they perceive as a targeted move due to some elusive political agenda. As the story unfolds, the focus remains on Musk as he navigates this tempestuous administrative terrain.
