Critics argue that satellite internet suffers from drawbacks that make it inferior to fiber. But SpaceX says the FCC’s broadband reports are being distorted by excluding Starlink.
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SpaceX is pushing the Federal Communications Commission to factor Starlink into its annual federal broadband report, sparking concerns that it will impact fiber deployments in rural areas.
The FCC’s annual “Section 706” report looks at US efforts to expand “advanced telecommunications capability” across the country. In the past, the Commission has excluded satellite internet systems, citing their lower adoption rates and capacity limits. Instead, the agency has focused on fixed terrestrial services, such as fiber.
But starting last year, the FCC began inquiring 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.
In response, SpaceX sent a letter to the FCC this week, urging it to start counting Starlink, which currently has over 2 million subscribers in the US. “It is high time that the Commission’s section 706 reports similarly recognize the critical role of satellite services in making high-speed broadband available to all Americans,” the company says.
The 8-page letter argues it was wrong and unfair for the FCC to exclude satellite internet based on the capacity concerns when fiber has its own limitations. “Increasing 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,” the company wrote.
The letter adds that Starlink has delivered a “median peak-hour downlink speed in the US of roughly 200Mbps.
