Why not just subsidize consumers in these Areas using Starlink? I feel like money invested in physical links in the past has basically disappeared without much change to neglected areas.
Of course none of this was remotely good enough long-term, and the _current_ strategy is to just roll out fibre everywhere. The US (or at least this particular programme) is wise to start with fibre; you'll only end up there anyway. Money spent on gap-filling half-measures like terrestrial or satellite cellular is money wasted.
> ignoring the LEO satellite platform’s capacity constraints, high prices, erratic leadership, and problematic environmental impact
I think capacity constraints are nonexistent for most uses, and capacity is increasing all the time. Clearly LEO has enough capacity because there are many other large constellations also launching. The price is not very different than Comcast or whoever, but with much easier installation, better speeds in most areas, and better customer service. The “erratic” leadership has no effect on the problem we’re discussing, and in fact, Musk has done amazing work with SpaceX and Starlink.
On the other hand we’ve already spent tens or hundreds of billions on traditional broadband to neglected areas and got very little for it. We would have been better off giving all those people the money directly so they can pay for satellite Internet.
Capacity issues are a common problem for wireless internet users, because the bandwidth provided by a base station / cell / satellite is divided among its users. Corporations have trouble resisting the temptation to over-sell their capacity, as adding subscribers on the same equipment is pure profit.
> Capacity constraints
Take the author's word for it
> high prices
Odd criticism of Starlink, given this article cites a project in Oswego County, NY as a success... even though they spent $2,400 per connected household!
> erratic leadership
This is journo for "I don't like the CEO's politics"
Or, it's an accurate description of Elon's team using blackmail to get what they want.
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-acces...
"U.S. negotiators" (not Elon Musk) threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink, ergo Elon Musk is erratic. Insightful.
There is no reason to not have fiber crisscrossing every county in our nation.
Oh, word? How much of other people's money are you willing to spend to give random people in rural New York access to marginally better internet? $2,400 per household is no problem for you, clearly. Where's the ceiling?
> We should not be optimizing for "oh hey starlink exists, fuck rural customers...
Please go back to reddit.
Starlink is $349 up-front, then $120/mo. That $2400 pays back in under 2 years!
And Starlink requires a continual investment in launching new satellites to replace de-orbited ones, meaning the prices won't come down. Once that fiber is in the ground, maintenance is minimal.
FTTH is extremely expensive to _install_, but once it's there it's pretty cheap to maintain compared to copper.