An official complaint gives the company just days to respond, while Warsaw weighs a far more disruptive step against another Musk-owned platform.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, has spoken out against SpaceX’s new rules for Starlink Roam users. On Wednesday morning, he said the planned changes would put Poles at a disadvantage compared with customers in other European countries.
Starting August 17, Poles who use Starlink Roam are set to receive worse service than customers in other European countries, with additional formalities, a requirement to report travel, and document checks.
– Krzysztof Gawkowski
Krzysztof Gawkowski Criticizes SpaceX’s New Rules
Speaking on “Onet Rano,” the Minister of Digital Affairs explained that SpaceX is changing the terms of its services in Europe, but the new requirements will apply specifically to Poland. According to him, the existing rules will remain in place for many other European countries.
Starlink Roam allows customers to use satellite internet while traveling by taking the necessary equipment with them. Krzysztof Gawkowski noted that once the changes take effect, Polish customers traveling outside Europe will have to complete additional formalities and provide documents.
In my view, this is outrageous. Poland cannot be treated as a second-class country when we pay for the service, they operate in our market, and SpaceX makes money here.
– Krzysztof Gawkowski
The Deputy Prime Minister expects the company to quickly restore equal terms for Polish users and customers elsewhere in Europe. If it fails to do so, Poland may take retaliatory measures in the economic sphere.
Minister Does Not Rule Out an Error or Personal Motive
Krzysztof Gawkowski suggested that SpaceX’s decision may have resulted from Elon Musk’s conflict with a Polish politician. He recalled that he had previously sharply criticized the X platform and the use of language models in relation to politicians, the president, and other public figures.
At the same time, the politician did not rule out the possibility that it was simply an error. He stressed that he was not drawing any definitive conclusions about Elon Musk’s motives but expected the situation to be corrected promptly.
Poland Sends Official Letter to SpaceX
The minister said Poland had already contacted SpaceX, demanding the urgent restoration of equal rules for all users in Poland. The letter identified the problematic provisions and stated that there were no legal grounds for introducing them.
We demand the immediate restoration of equal rules for all Polish users. We have identified the problems and pointed out that there are no legal grounds whatsoever for introducing such rules. We will wait a day or two and see what happens.
– Krzysztof Gawkowski
Krzysztof Gawkowski also said that major technology companies should not be allowed to unilaterally impose unequal terms on individual countries or their citizens. Among the possible retaliatory measures, he mentioned blocking the X platform in Poland. The Polish authorities’ next steps will depend on SpaceX’s response to the official request.