US warns EU against restricting SpaceX satellite spectrum

The US ambassador to the EU has warned that European companies should prepare for "devastating" retaliation from Washington if the bloc restricts American firms like Elon Musk's SpaceX from parts of its market. The warning follows a European Commission proposal to reserve radio spectrum for EU satellite-to-phone providers. The proposed changes could limit available frequencies for US and Chinese companies, including SpaceX's Starlink network. Ambassador Andrew Pizder argued that the size of the US market gives Washington significant leverage, and stated that making American companies less competitive is not the way to make European firms more competitive. The dispute is part of Brussels' broader push for technological autonomy, driven by uncertainty over US policy and concerns about critical infrastructure dependence. Pizder also criticized the EU's Digital Markets Act enforcement and urged transatlantic cooperation against China in AI and quantum computing instead.