Shooting for the Moon

In another step toward making the world your warehouse, the FCC awarded SpaceX nearly $900 million in federal subsidies to support broadband customers in remote U.S. areas through its Starlink satellite internet network.

The subsidies are an incentive for broadband providers to bring service to underserved areas, and will be distributed in the next 10 years. The FCC plans to target partially served areas in a phase II auction.

Starlink is SpaceX’s initiative to deliver high-speed internet anywhere on the globe. Its beta test in October 2020 had service priced at $99 a month, and a wider beta test is set for early 2021. SpaceX won subsidies to bring its service to 35 U.S. states. The company started working with organizations in rural regions that Starlink satellites currently cover, including Washington state.