Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio partner with SpaceX's Starlink for satellite internet in India, facing regulatory hurdles.

By signing deals with India’s two biggest telecom players, the tech tycoon and Trump adviser has improved his odds of breaking into an enormous market.

The Commerce Department has changed its rules in a way that could open the door for Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, to become part of a federal $42 billion grant program to bring high-speed service to rural and poor areas of the United States.

Musk has long faced concerns about his Trump administration work posing a conflict of interest with his private companies.

India’s two largest telecom companies, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, have partnered with Starlink to offer its high-speed internet services.

The use of Starlink has been adopted by at least one additional federal agency since President Donald Trump began his second term, and it’s being considered by more.

A watchdog group has asked the Transportation Department’s inspector general to investigate whether the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) business with Elon Musk’s Starlink violates conflict of interest laws.

On Thursday, March 13, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation's acting Inspector General. The complaint asks them to investigate if Elon Musk unlawfully influenced government decision-making and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contracts involving his satellite business.