"Ironically, SpaceX's own attempt to intimidate and bully its competitors, regulators, and cellular operators is itself anti-competitive and an effort to deflect technical shortcomings of its own system,” AST SpaceMobile tells the Federal Communications Commission.

The startup is hitting back after SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC earlier this month, accusing AST SpaceMobile of spreading misinformation meant to “hamstring” its work on the direct-to-cell Starlink system. SpaceX also derided AST SpaceMobile as “meme stock” driven by investors and foreign partners.