Commerce Secretary’s Proposal to Prioritize Satellite Over Fiber Internet Would ‘Strand’ Rural Communities, Experts Say

WestJet launches Wi-Fi service powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink

MONTREAL - WestJet says it has launched an on-board Wi-Fi service powered by Starlink, the satellite internet technology made by Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX.

Commerce Secretary’s Proposal to Prioritize Satellite Over Fiber Internet Would ‘Strand’ Rural Communities, Experts Say

In early March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick proposed changes to a federal broadband connectivity program that would favor Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, like Starlink, over fiber optic, a faster and more reliable form of internet access. Critics say Lutnick’s proposal to prioritize LEO will worsen the digital divide by abandoning rural communities without the long term economic benefits of fiber optic infrastructure.…

Elon Musk Is Hijacking Rural America’s Internet

Elon Musk’s Starlink is muscling in on Joe Biden’s rural internet initiative. “What rural internet initiative?” you might ask. Good question. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program was introduced as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 to bring internet access to America’s unconnected households, 80 percent of which are in rural […]

Towards smart, digitalised rural regions and communities – Policies, best practices and case studies

Rural communities and regions face specific challenges in terms of thin markets, low population density, and long distances. Also, the demographics of…

Internet access in remote areas could radically change with the new initiative of Elon Musk. Starlink, the internet service...