The Lebanese government meeting on Sept. 9, 2025. Photo sent by the Grand Serail.
After more than two decades of delay, the Cabinet on Thursday appointed members to the regulatory authorities for the telecommunications and electricity sectors, Information Minister Paul Morcos announced after the session.
The government also approved Starlink’s request to provide satellite internet access across Lebanon using satellites from U.S.-based SpaceX.
A source told L’Orient-Le Jour that Mohammad Marwan Jamal was appointed president of the Electricity Regulatory Authority, alongside Daniel Geha, Mitri Daher, Sourina Mortada and Ziad Rahmeh.
“This authority is the cornerstone for reorganizing the electricity sector,” Energy Minister Joe Saddi said. “It will help shield the sector from political interference, ensure continuity, and open the door to investments in renewable energy.”
The Electricity Regulatory Authority is an independent body tasked with setting tariffs and supervising contracts with the private sector for power production and distribution. Parliament mandated its creation in 2002 under Law 462, but implementation has been stalled ever since.
The same source said Jenny Gemayel was appointed president of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the body central to legislation aimed at reorganizing Lebanon’s telecom sector and improving governance. Its establishment had also been blocked for more than 20 years, mainly because of sectarian rivalries.
Starlink in Lebanon
Until now, Lebanon has relied mainly on undersea and land cables for connectivity. Internet distribution remains a state monopoly under Law 431 of 2002, which gives exclusive rights to the Lebanese state, and is carried out through Ogero as well as Alfa and Touch.
In June 2025, SpaceX founder Elon Musk told President Joseph Aoun in a phone call that he wished to “see his companies present in Lebanon.”
Negotiations stalled under former Prime Minister Najib Mikati over service costs and a technical demand: SpaceX required that servers hosting Lebanese data be based in Qatar or Germany, which conflicted with Law 81 on personal data protection.
In July, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation from the French group Eutelsat, which specializes in satellite internet services, raising doubts about the future of talks with Starlink.
A government source told L’Orient-Le Jour that appointments to the Higher Customs Council were not discussed during Thursday’s meeting. “The candidacies were supposed to reach us before the session, which did not happen,” the source said, adding that the debate was postponed until next week.
Another source said the delay stemmed from disagreement over a Christian seat on the council, involving Hadi Afif, an ally of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai. His appointment has been blocked by the Lebanese Forces.
The issue of the Jdeideh landfill, which handles trash from all of north Mount Lebanon, was also postponed, Morcos said.
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