The FCC decided it wouldn’t be the “best” use of limited funds.

Starlink loses out on $886 million in rural broadband subsidies::The FCC reaffirmed a decision not to award Starlink a nearly $900 million subsidy for offering 100Mbps/20Mbps low-latency internet service in 35 states.

    • alsimoneau@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      The issue with starlink is the choice to be in LEO instead of using geosats. It lowers the latency but it makes the whole project completely unsustainable.

      • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
        13·
        11 months ago

        I suspect they’ll eventually move to a slightly higher orbit, where their satellites can last a decade or so, once the technology is more mature.

    • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
      25·
      11 months ago

      Ships don’t need infinite rockets full of infinite cell towers launched forever.

      Maybe when we have fusion power and don’t have to waste the resources. We don’t. We have to choose what we want to use. I say that launching infinite rockets with infinite cell towers forever is not worth being able to watch tiktok in the middle of the Atlantic.

      There’s always actual satellite internet for the needed communications.

      Maybe we should just wait for the subsidies and the investor money that’s actually paying for starlink to run out and see where things quite literally fall.

      • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
        11·
        11 months ago

        infinite rockets full of infinite cell towers

        They need 12,000 of them, which isn’t a huge amount considering you’re covering the entire globe.

        • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          11 months ago

          Per year, forever. Hence infinite rockets with infinite cell towers.

          • Ilovethebomb@lemm.eeEnglish
            12·
            11 months ago

            The typical lifespan is 5-7 years, so 2400 per year at worst.

            You don’t really do math, do you?

            • echo64@lemmy.worldEnglish
              11·
              11 months ago

              It’s one year. Their goal is 5 years, but it’s one year because they haven’t hit their goal. Starlink hasn’t even been active for five years yet. This is embarrassing for you.