Starlink in Venezuela: the barrier is no longer OFAC, but Venezuela’s own paperwork

Conatel and SpaceX reviewed the framework to formalize Starlink in Venezuela and the regulator asked it to homologate its equipment. The piece usually missing in these cases — the U.S. authorization for an American company — already exists: OFAC maintains general licenses for telecommunications and the internet (GL 24A and 25) that Starlink can rely on. What remains is Venezuelan execution: homologation, spectrum concession and title.

Published July 28, 2026

On July 27 and 28, Conatel held a working meeting with representatives of SpaceX and Starlink to review the technical, legal and economic aspects of regularizing satellite internet in Venezuela. The regulator urged the company to begin homologating its equipment — a prerequisite for the administrative title — and SpaceX expressed its willingness to adapt its legal and institutional structure to Venezuelan rules.

The headline is about connectivity, but the decisive half of the file is in Washington: because SpaceX is an American company, it needs OFAC coverage to operate while sanctions remain in force. And here is the twist almost no coverage mentions: that coverage already exists. The consequence inverts the question — it is not whether a U.S. company can operate in Venezuela, but when the Venezuelan State finishes its part of the process.

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VENE · ECONOMIST Intelligence Unit · Informational analysis. Does not constitute investment, legal or tax advice. Vene Economist is not a credit rating agency; the "VE Verdict" is a proprietary editorial indicator, not a credit rating. Always verify against the primary source before making decisions.

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OFAC

OFAC removed Jorge Rodríguez from its list on October 14, 2026, and Switzerland added Alex Saab and Álvaro Pulido to its own, which is an asset freeze for judicial cooperation, not a sanction. Delcy Rodríguez remains subject to an asset freeze in the European Union, the United Kingdom and under the Swiss embargo list, and the European measures expire on January 10, 2027.

OFAC · GL 60A

GL 60A — Earthquake Relief Efforts (through April 21, 2027)

Authorizes, through 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 21, 2027, all transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela that would otherwise be prohibited by the Venezuela Sanctions Regulations (31 CFR part 591). Note 1 covers the processing and transfer of funds on behalf of third-country persons and lets U.S. financial institutions and registered money transmitters rely on the originator. It does not unblock blocked property or authorize what other executive orders prohibit. Supersedes GL 60, whose text it repeats except for the expiration date.

SECTOR BRIEF · VE-RISK

Venezuela country risk August 2026: the file runs on two clocks and only one tells verifiable time

The Venezuelan file operates on two clocks: an external one producing verifiable acts at a reliable cadence, and an internal one whose statements have no associated indicator. Reconstruction is the best available proxy for state execution capacity.

Starlink in Venezuela: the barrier is no longer OFAC, but Venezuela’s own paperwork

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FURTHER READING

Machado returns to Caracas with no public guarantees from the government and outside the dialogue table

Venezuela sanctions: Switzerland freezes, U.S. unfreezes, EU has until January 10

GL 60A — Earthquake Relief Efforts (through April 21, 2027)

Venezuela country risk August 2026: the file runs on two clocks and only one tells verifiable time