Washington, D.C. ? The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission issued a last-minute appeal to a satellite telecommunications giant Friday, urging it to continue providing Internet and other services to a subscriber despite a contract dispute.

SES Americom had threatened to shut off satellite service to OnSat Network Communications, saying it is owed more than $4 million. Their dispute stems over Internet services to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

But FCC chairman Kevin Martin noted in a letter to SES Americom’s chief operating officer, Jim Ducay, that such an action would also cut off “significant public safety services to first responders across the country,” affecting “at least 25 public safety entities in 13 states throughout the country.”

Martin, a Republican appointee, warned of the serious risks of such a disruption, writing, “These agencies can ill afford to be confronted with a precipitous loss of service when dealing with potentially life or death situations.”

SES Americom, based in Princeton, N.J., had announced it would switch off the satellite service Friday. The company, which has a fleet of 15 satellites and government customers including NASA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Armed Forces Radio & Television Service, refused to comment on its actions.