SpaceX wants to offer Starlink for rural school buses in the US. It remains to be seen if the FCC will support Elon Musk’s company.
Starlink satellite Internet has already become widespread, now it covers, in particular, boats and motorhomes. From now on, the service can accompany children on their way to school in the United States. SpaceX has filed an application with the FCC for the Starlink pilot program for rural school buses across the country.
SpaceX wants to offer Starlink for rural school buses in the US
The project will allow students to stay connected during long trips (over an hour for this pilot project) to ensure that they can complete any homework that requires an Internet connection while traveling if they have a poor or no connection at home.
At the same time, the aerospace company backed FCC Director Jessica Rosenworsel’s May proposal to provide Wi-Fi on school buses. She also explains that she helped get Internet access through the E-Rate program. Not surprisingly, SpaceX is confident it has the best solution thanks to rapid satellite deployment, portable antennas, and fast service to the “most remote”areas.
It remains to be seen if the FCC will support Elon Musk’s company.
The FCC and SpaceX have been contacted but are unwilling to communicate about the matter just yet. The move comes two months after the FCC approved the use of Starlink in vehicles, saying it would serve the “public interest”and keep people online as they travel. The concept is not new – Google, in particular, equipped school buses with Wi-Fi in 2018 after some testing.
However, there is no guarantee that the FCC will decide to support SpaceX and invest in its Starlink service for school buses. The commission denied SpaceX’s request for $885.5 million in aid through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, and Elon Musk’s company responded by calling the denial “really unfair”and, most importantly, unfounded. Satellite internet service theoretically offers more seamless coverage than cellular data, and Starlink competitors such as Amazon’s Project Kuiper have yet to be deployed.