Less than 24 hours after President Trump threatened to abolish Elon Musk’s government contracts, his department published a notice that could transfer Musk’s Star Link Internet Service to tens of billions of dollars in federal funds.
According to a report by a Wall Street Journal published in March, the Star Link is likely to receive a maximum of $ 20 billion in broadband equity, access, and deployment program under new rules.
“This is a great gift to the star link,” said Drew Garner, director of the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society’s policy. “To me, this looks like another example of Taco Trump as Taco Trump gave money and handed over money. He is allowing his secretary to give billions of dollars to Kasturi, the day the Musk is demanding his motion.”
As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2021, the Mala’s program was signed in the law. This government is the largest investment in expanding access to the Internet.
Critics prefer to say that more than three years have passed since the program’s formation, and there is still no house connected by the bead. However, it is largely on track with the timeline in the original law. Commerce Secretary Howard Lotnik has repeatedly cited the need for a sharp and cheaper bead, but industry observers were already telling me before the election that Trump’s victory would turn to the star link in billions of dollars.
A ‘technology neutral’ point of view
In the rural areas, the fiber was written to prefer to increase the Internet, but the new rules order a “technology neutral” perspective. Although the previous rules gave the states to the Levy to make the type of connection to how they received the money, the new rules must order that the money needs to go to the cheap bidder.
“The whole idea of neutrality of technology does not really make a lot of meaning in this context,” said Avon Fanman, a former BAD director. He added that different types of internet connection “have different performance capabilities, they have different costs to work, and they have different features of reliability.
Fiber is considered to be widespread gold standards for Internet contacts, and states are giving fiber Internet providers a huge amount of money. The discount was especially in remote areas, where installing fiber on every domestic basis can be forbidden.
“Fiber is great, but our cost estimates are just more than 120 (thousand), 000 130,000,” Greg County, director of the Texas Broadband Development Office, told me in a previous interview about rural areas in Western Texas.
The Star Link will still have to compete with the Internet providers in all these states, and there is no guarantee that they will have the cheapest bid. Fanman has also predicted that unlicensed wireless providers will benefit greatly from the new rules.
New rules also eliminate labor, environmental and affordable needs
Fanman said, “Star Link will take an important advantage of these changes.” This is not the only thing they are doing. “
There are many other opportunities in the new rules that aims to eliminate the “regulatory load” and accelerate the deployment process. The requirements of the wages used on bead projects, climate project and pure neutrality concerns are all being eliminated.
But the one who was the most good of me was what was called the “backdoor rate regulation”. Earlier, the money -paying providers needed to offer a discounted plan for low -income residents. It is well understood that most people do not have an internet connection because it is not because it is not available – they just can’t afford it. It’s been a year to end the cheap communication program. Federal subsidies provide $ 30 a month to help low -income households pay internet service.
The Internet is already more expensive in rural areas. Star Link projects start at 80 monthly, costing with a cost of $ 349 for goods – and many households can struggle to tolerate whatever connections are available for them after construction is completed.
Garner said, “Today, Secretary Lutink eliminated the heart from the provisions of cheapness in Mala.” He is basically allowing only providers to confirm themselves that they offer some cheapness. “
Will bead changes get the Internet fast in rural areas?
The state broadband offices have expressed horrific and straight alarm when discussing possible changes in the game late in the game. In April, a group of 115 state lawmakers sent an open letter to Secretary Lotnik, urging them not to mess up the program.
“The feeds broke it and the states decided it, and the feeds are preparing to break it again.” “Why don’t you just leave the states to decide what they want to do in terms of technology instead of putting their thumbs on?”
The states will have 90 days to comply with new responsibilities. Many states were already close to the final line on their expense projects, and Louisiana, Delaware and Nevada also received final approval. Ironically, the attempt to smooth the bead is even more slow.
“They are very worried, because as far as we can tell, today a 90 -day watch begins,” Garner said. “They are all middle -class, and they just made the carpet from them underneath them. It is difficult to see how all these works can fall.”
