Brazil's telecom regulator Anatel may revoke Starlink’s licence over non-compliance

Starlink faces sanctions: Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, is considering sanctions against Starlink, the satellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk, including the potential revocation of its operating licence, according to a Reuters report.

Artur Coimbra, an Anatel commissioner, told Reuters that the regulator is currently reviewing all telecom operators in Brazil to ensure compliance with a Supreme Court order mandating the shutdown of the X messaging platform. Starlink is the only company that has informed Anatel of its decision not to comply with this court order, Coimbra disclosed.

X suspended over compliance

A recent Supreme Court panel decision unanimously upheld the suspension of X in Brazil due to its non-compliance with a court order and its failure to appoint a local legal representative, impacting over 20 million users. Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s ruling necessitates X’s suspension until it adheres to these legal requirements.

Moraes's ruling last week, which led to X being taken down in Brazil, was backed by justices Flavio Dino, Cristiano Zanin, Carmen Lucia, and Luiz Fux. They indicated that the suspension could be reversed if X complies with previous legal directives. X was Brazil’s sixth-largest market with approximately 21.5 million users as of April, according to Statista.

The ongoing dispute between Moraes and Musk intensified when X defied orders to block accounts accused of spreading misinformation and hate. Musk criticised the suspension as an attack on freedom of expression, asserting that Moraes's actions were an attempt to censor users. The X office in Brazil was closed in August following the non-appointment of a new local representative, exacerbating the situation.

Compliance key for reinstatement

Justice Dino stressed that no company should dictate its own rules when operating in a country, aligning with Moraes’s stance. Justices Zanin and Fux, however, indicated a willingness to reconsider the suspension if X meets the legal requirements.

Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso, who was not on the review panel, condemned the attempt to evade compliance by removing legal representatives, labelling it unacceptable globally.

X remains inaccessible to the majority of users in Brazil. Starlink has stated it will not remove X from its services until a court-imposed freeze on its Brazilian bank accounts is lifted. The freeze was enacted after X failed to pay fines related to document submission issues.

(With Reuters Inputs)