After The Washington Post earlier this month revealed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had instructed the State Department to help Starlink expand in order to fend off Chinese technological influence, an extensive ProPublica article published Thursday dove deeper into what those campaigns looked like at the ground level. According to cables sent between the State Department and US embassies in four developing countries in Africa – Gambia, Djibouti, Cameroon and Lesotho – diplomats have been arranging meetings with Starlink executives and foreign regulators and pushing them to fast-track licensing agreements for the satellite internet company, as a sign of “friendship” with the United States.
Should those countries refuse to move faster, those diplomats warn, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the Musk agency responsible for massive job and budget cuts throughout the government – might suddenly target programs and funds earmarked for their countries.
Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Sharon Cromer, the U.S. ambassador to Gambia, held a meeting with Lamin Jabbi, the head of Gambia’s communications ministry, about speeding up regulatory approval for Starlink. …