SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission that Amazon's track record “amply demonstrates that as it falls behind competitors, it is more than willing to use regulatory and legal processes to create obstacles designed to delay those competitors from leaving Amazon even further behind."

SpaceX told the FCC in its filing. Approving Amazon's request would hurt consumers by denying them "access to faster-moving competition", SpaceX said.

Amazon urged the FCC to reject an update to SpaceX's Starlink plan because it "proposes two different configurations for the nearly 30,000 satellites of its Gen2 System, each of which arranges these satellites along very different orbital parameters".

Amazon contends that the SpaceX request violates a rule requiring applications to be complete and have no internal inconsistencies.

Amazon's request would prevent the commission from seeking public comment on SpaceX's application, SpaceX said.

"The commission should recognise this gambit for the obstructionist tactic that it is, reject Amazon's request, and quickly put the amendment out for public comment," SpaceX said. The public-comment process will allow "any issues to be fully vetted", SpaceX said.

Does anyone remember a time when a government agency could select a product based on its criteria without being appealed or sued by the selected company's rival?