Mônica Bergamo: Fábio Faria is invited to explain at the Chamber Elon Musk’s coming to Brazil

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The Minister of Communications, Fábio Faria, will be invited by the Chamber of Deputies to give explanations about the visit of Elon Musk to Brazil and about the close partnership between the federal government and the billionaire. The conversation should be scheduled for June 8.

The invitation to the head of the portfolio occurs after a summons request is presented by the PSOL bench to the Financial Inspection and Control Commission of the House.

Last week, Elon Musk participated in the “Conecta Amazônia” event and promoted the launch of the Starlink satellite internet service in the country. He was accompanied by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), members of the government and businessmen.

On Twitter, Musk said the initiative will provide connections to 19,000 schools in rural areas in Brazil and help monitor the Amazon. At the time, the Ministry of Communications stated that the implementation of the program would begin in 2022.

According to the PSOL, however, the folder was not transparent and tried to hide the meeting and partnership with Musk before it came to fruition.

“Undeniably, we are facing a public act, where the Ministry of Communications must give its acts publicity and wide dissemination, prioritizing the public interest in the partnership signed with the company Starlink”, says the caption.

PC do B had already made a request to convene Fábio Faria through the Chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee. The request was also approved in the form of an invitation, that is, Faria is not obliged to go. The idea is that the hearings convened by the two commissions will be held jointly on the 8th.

Starlink is a division of SpaceX (Musk’s space exploration company) that proposes to offer fast, low-latency internet to remote regions.

The partnership for low-orbit satellites does not depend on a bidding process, and can be closed through an administrative process at Anatel (Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações). SpaceX received authorization from the regulator in January of this year. The amounts involved in the partnership have not been revealed so far.

In addition to the invitation to Faria, the PSOL also signs a request for information sent to the Ministry of Communications. The official letter requests a detailed presentation of the total costs of the presidential entourage for the meeting with Musk at Resort Fasano, the entirety of Anatel’s authorization process for the performance of Starlink, the schedule of satellite launches over the Amazon and the reason for the Jair Bolsonaro government to opt for the Musk monitoring system instead of the national system managed by Inpe (National Institute for Space Research).

He also asks if any agreement has been made so that the billionaire can mine niobium in Brazil and if the course of this year’s elections were discussed between Musk and the president of the Republic.

For now, Starlink’s coverage in Brazil covers the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and part of Minas Gerais. The service will arrive “soon” in the North region, according to the map available on the company’s website.

To connect to Elon Musk’s internet, the user needs to be in the coverage area, buy a Starlink kit (Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables and antenna) and subscribe to the service.

In Brazil, prices follow the dollar exchange rate and include import taxes. The equipment costs R$ 3,365 (shipping included) and the subscription costs R$ 530 per month. A broadband internet plan with the same speed promised by Starlink costs around R$120 a month in São Paulo.

with BIANKA VIEIRA, KARINA MATIAS and MANOELLA SMITH

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