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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

SpaceX Starlink passes 10,000 users and fights opposition to FCC funding [arstechnica.com]

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 [fcc.gov] 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 [bnnbloomberg.ca] 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 [arstechnica.com]

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 [fcc.gov] to the Federal Communications Commission for designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) under the Communications Act. SpaceX said it needs that legal designation [cornell.edu] in some of the states where it won government funding [arstechnica.com] to deploy broadband in unserved areas. The ETC designation is also needed to get reimbursement from the FCC's Lifeline program [usac.org] for offering discounts on telecom service to people with low incomes.

SpaceX Condemns Amazon's Opposition To Starlink As Alaskan Support Gains Momentum [wccftech.com]

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 [wccftech.com] and as such are not accurate representations of reality.

Previously: SpaceX Now Plans for 5 Million Starlink Customers in US, Up From 1 Million [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX Seeks FCC Broadband Funds, Must Prove It Can Deliver Sub-100ms Latency [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX Starlink Brings Internet to Emergency Responders in Wildfire Areas [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX Starlink Public Beta Begins: It's $99 a Month Plus $499 Up Front [soylentnews.org]
SpaceX Gets $886 Million from FCC to Subsidize Starlink in 35 States [soylentnews.org]

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