A Commentary by Ruvelle Sherman Jones
Why would Liberia entrust its national communications infrastructure to Elon Musk, a man who has openly said that empathy is bad? That statement reveals a worldview that matters when control over communication is involved. He has boasted about the power he has over sovereign leaders or how he can redirect the trajectory of a war by flipping a switch. He proved this by cutting off the internet to the Ukraine in the middle of the war they’re in.
Yes, Starlink required a spectrum license to legally use Liberia’s national airwaves. But deeply concerning is that this license could be about more than just selling Wi-Fi. When a spectrum license is granted rapidly and without rigorous scrutiny, its scope can quietly extend beyond consumer broadband into areas such as encrypted data relay or priority communications that Liberia may lack the technical capacity to inspect, regulate, or restrain.
Liberia being described as the “fastest globally” to approve a Starlink spectrum license should prompt concern, not celebration. Countries with stronger regulatory capacity move slowly because they conduct national-security reviews and ensure enforceable safeguards. Liberia currently lacks the technical infrastructure to audit satellite systems operated entirely from abroad. Once active, those systems cannot realistically be inspected or restrained by local institutions.
This is not fear of technology. It is a question of sovereignty, responsibility, and consent. Speed without scrutiny has never protected vulnerable nations. History has already taught us that lesson.
