{"id":20225,"date":"2025-09-13T15:07:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/20225\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T15:07:21","slug":"spacex-urges-fcc-to-treat-starlink-satellite-service-and-fiber-equally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/20225\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Urges FCC to Treat Starlink Satellite Service and Fiber Equally"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag<\/a> as a preferred source on Google.<\/p>\n

SpaceX is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to factor Starlink<\/a> into its annual federal broadband report, sparking concerns that it will impact fiber deployments in rural areas.<\/p>\n

The FCC\u2019s annual \u201cSection 706\u201d report looks at US efforts to expand \u201cadvanced telecommunications capability\u201d across the country. In the past, the Commission has excluded<\/a> satellite internet systems, citing their lower adoption rates and capacity limits. Instead, the agency has focused on fixed terrestrial services, such as fiber.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But starting last year, the FCC began inquiring<\/a> whether it should include satellite internet services, such as Starlink. Last month, FCC Chair Brendan Carr also kicked off a proceeding on whether the commission should reconsider how it treats satellite internet, citing technological advancements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response, SpaceX sent a letter<\/a> to the FCC this week, urging it to start counting Starlink, which currently has over 2 million subscribers in the US. \u201cIt is high time that the Commission\u2019s section 706 reports similarly recognize the critical role of satellite services in making high-speed broadband available to all Americans,\u201d the company says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Starlink<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Starlink)\n<\/p>\n

The 8-page letter argues it was wrong and unfair for the FCC to exclude satellite internet based on the capacity<\/a> concerns when fiber has its own limitations. \u201cIncreasing fiber capacity requires physically dragging millions of cables to each endpoint. By contrast, in just a few years, SpaceX has deployed a next-generation satellite service that is readily available throughout the United States today with median subscriber speeds that have increased steadily even as subscriber numbers have grown exponentially,\u201d the company wrote.<\/p>\n

The letter adds that Starlink has delivered a\u00a0\u201cmedian peak-hour downlink speed in the US of roughly 200Mbps.\u201d Although this is slower than gigabit fiber, SpaceX points out that it\u2019s preparing to upgrade Starlink with gigabit speeds through its upcoming V3 satellites<\/a>, which promise to \u201coffer a step-change in capacity and service quality for American consumers, including in the many areas where fiber is too expensive or difficult to deploy,\u201d SpaceX says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If the FCC continues to exclude Starlink, then it risks creating \u201csevere distortions to the Commission\u2019s broadband reports,\u201d SpaceX argues. \u201cThese inaccurate reports can then distort policy decisions and lead to inefficient allocation of funds and resources intended to improve access to broadband service.”<\/p>\n

\"Optical<\/p>\n

\n (Photo by: Jon G. Fuller\/VW Pics\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n

But other groups have pushed back, saying the FCC should avoid placing satellite internet on equal footing with fiber. \u201cAny data showing LEO [low-Earth orbit] satellite availability must account for LEO satellites\u2019 technical scalability challenges, which have been well-documented,\u201d the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) told<\/a> the FCC in its own letter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMore to the point, if all households in a given area (or even a significant percentage of them) subscribed to LEO service, would it still meet the bare minimum 100\/20 Mbps service threshold? NRECA is concerned that oversubscribed LEO satellite service will fail to serve the telemedicine, distance learning, and other needs of rural consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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WTA Advocates for Rural Broadband expressed<\/a> similar concerns, citing how Starlink can become oversubscribed in an area, which can reduce broadband speeds. \u201cThe largest LEO constellation currently\u2014Starlink\u2014periodically has stopped<\/a> taking on new subscribers in some areas of the country,\u201d the group says. <\/p>\n

“Substitution should require a more detailed qualitative analysis than, ‘Is it there?’ and instead inquire as to whether consumers perceive equivalent capabilities and value when faced with a choice between the alternatives,” added<\/a> the NTCA \u2014The Rural Broadband Association.<\/p>\n

The dispute highlights ongoing concerns about Starlink taking federal funding away from fiber deployments, which has started<\/a> to occur with the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. So far, Starlink will receive $300 million to serve over 200,000 locations under BEAD, even though the satellite internet service is already available to consumers across the US.\u00a0Although a bulk of the funding will still go toward fiber, at least $13 billion is being returned to the Commerce Department after it revised the BEAD program to focus on cost savings and “technology neutrality.” \u00a0<\/p>\n

Gigi Sohn, the Biden administration\u2019s former pick<\/a> for FCC commissioner, says that if the FCC starts treating Starlink the same as fiber, then it could impact how the commission works to bring high-speed internet to rural and remote areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is about wanting to be in the party, to say \u2018Mission Accomplished,\u2019\u201d Sohn says of SpaceX\u2019s letter to the FCC. She also argues that it risks chipping away at the FCC\u2019s Universal Service Fund, which has subsidized<\/a> internet access in rural areas. \u201cBecause if everyone has access, why do you need this high-cost fund?”<\/p>\n

\"FCC<\/p>\n

\n FCC Chair Brendan Carr (Al Drago\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)\n<\/p>\n

Still, Sohn expects Carr to start counting Starlink in future Section 706 reports \u2014 which he\u2019s previously said<\/a> has long been \u201coverdue.\u201d This would come as Carr also plans<\/a> on abandoning an effort to raise the agency’s benchmark for high-speed internet from 100Mbps to 1Gbps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect even without satellite, that this FCC will conclude people are getting advanced telecommunications on a reasonable basis,\u201d Sohn says, noting how former FCC Chair Ajit Pai infamously<\/a> declared that high-speed networks were \u201cbeing deployed on a reasonable and timely basis\u201d back in 2019, despite conflicting<\/a> evidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sohn adds, \u201cWe have no goal when it comes to broadband. We\u2019re supposed to be happy with 100\/20 (internet) speeds? Are you kidding me? That makes the cable industry happy. But it gives them nothing to strive for. They can give yesterday\u2019s service to consumers as though it were today\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Greg Guice, chief policy officer at the consulting firm the Vernonburg Group, said the FCC should acknowledge both Starlink and Amazon’s rival Project Kuiper in future Section 706 reports, but keep in mind their limitations. <\/p>\n

“As the FCC has done in the past, it could identify separately, service areas covered by LEOs and discuss any capacity or other issues presented by them, which can help inform future policies,” he told PCMag. “Bottom line, LEOs are a growing part of the broadband ecosystem and should be included in this important report on the subject.”<\/p>\n

About Our Expert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don’t miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. SpaceX is pushing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-20225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}