SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
SpaceX Starlink passes 10,000 users and fights opposition to FCC funding
Lobby groups for small ISPs are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether SpaceX can deliver on its broadband promises and to consider blocking the satellite provider's rural-broadband funding. Meanwhile, SpaceX says the Starlink beta is now serving high-speed broadband to 10,000 users.
[...] Electric co-ops that provide broadband raised concerns about both SpaceX's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology and fixed-wireless services that deliver Internet access from towers on the ground to antennas on customers' homes. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) submitted a white paper to the FCC claiming that the RDOF awards put "rural America's broadband hopes at risk."
The CEO of NRECA was blunt in his opposition to SpaceX's funding, as stated in a Bloomberg article today:
SpaceX's broadband-from-orbit "is a completely unproven technology," said Jim Matheson, chief executive officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which has members that vied for the funding. "Why use that money for a science experiment?"
SpaceX plans Starlink phone service, emergency backup, and low-income access
A new SpaceX filing outlines plans for Starlink to offer phone service, emergency backup for voice calls, and cheaper plans for people with low incomes through the government's Lifeline program.
The details are in Starlink's petition to the Federal Communications Commission for designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) under the Communications Act. SpaceX said it needs that legal designation in some of the states where it won government funding to deploy broadband in unserved areas. The ETC designation is also needed to get reimbursement from the FCC's Lifeline program for offering discounts on telecom service to people with low incomes.
SpaceX Condemns Amazon's Opposition To Starlink As Alaskan Support Gains Momentum
In meetings with FCC Commissioners' representatives, Space Exploration Technology Corp.'s (SpaceX) subsidiary SpaceX LLC. has hit hard at competitor Amazon's opposition to its proposed Starlink modification. SpaceX LLC's director of satellite policy Mr. David Goldman met with the representatives over the course of last week, and in these meetings, he reiterated SpaceX's claims that competitor statements of the Starlink modification causing interference to their systems are based on cherry-picked data and as such are not accurate representations of reality.
Previously: SpaceX Now Plans for 5 Million Starlink Customers in US, Up From 1 Million
SpaceX Seeks FCC Broadband Funds, Must Prove It Can Deliver Sub-100ms Latency
SpaceX Starlink Brings Internet to Emergency Responders in Wildfire Areas
SpaceX Starlink Public Beta Begins: It's $99 a Month Plus $499 Up Front
SpaceX Gets $886 Million from FCC to Subsidize Starlink in 35 States
Related: FCC: Tracfone Made Up "Fictitious" Customers to Defraud Low-Income Program
Verizon Refuses to Give DSL Users its Low-Income Deals During Pandemic
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Derf the on Saturday February 06 2021, @10:29PM (1 child)
The 'critical' application of your ongoing monthly spend is one of the powerful tools you have to influence the greater world, you may wish to to wield it to more effect than to simply allocate to the first you see, in this instance.
I am.
(Score: 2) by Tokolosh on Sunday February 07 2021, @03:56AM
We have abdicated the use of the "powerful tool" to the government in this case. The government does not care for your spending preferences, only lobbyists, campaign contributors and astroturfers. And people wonder why there is so much money in politics.