Starlink & US Broadband Policy

[Zulu]

Interesting YouTube video from Scientific American.

Edited September 8, 2021 by Zulu

[Ranger Smith]

Yes it is

Edited September 8, 2021 by Ranger Smith

[k4rs]

After watching the video, I agree with most of the comments.  The one that best sums it up is "This looks suspiciously like a FUD hit piece sponsored by traditional telecom providers."

At our place in Florida the very best Internet connection that I can get is DSL at 25 Mb/s down and 1.5 Mb/s up.  That requires two bonded phone lines.  Due to a shortage of lines, that level of service is no longer available.  The best that can be obtained currently is 10/0.75.  There is no cable or 5G cell service at all.  The only other option is a wisp that also tops out at 10 Mb/s at a much higher price.  The sad thing is that our place is within the city limits of the second largest city in the county.  Admittedly, it is a small city in a rural county (it is not hard to be the second largest when there are only two cities in the county) 

I believe that Starlink will offer a better connection in an area no one else wants to serve with true broadband.  Needless to say I am seriously considering switching to Starlink once it becomes available in our area.  It will be even better once Starlink becomes mobile and we can take it with us while traveling. 

Safe Travels...

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by k4rs

[Vladimir]

On 9/8/2021 at 8:08 AM, k4rs said:

After watching the video, I agree with most of the comments.  The one that best sums it up is "This looks suspiciously like a FUD hit piece sponsored by traditional telecom providers."

I disagree. 

The comment most appropriate was in the video, that this country has screwed up broadband deployment.  And it was done by the officials we elected to public office.  Here is a perspective from the process on the "ground" as they say in Washington, DC.

It is no surprise that the Indian tribe is in Washington state, which is one of the hostile states for municipal internet.

I live in a county where  in the late 1990's the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) DIRECTED the county owned utilities in eastern Washington to lay fiber optic lines between their facilities and the BPA offices in Portland, Oregon.  The Northwest power grid is controlled by the Federal government through the Bonneville Power Administration.

Anyway the county PUD employees as they were laying the fiber optic lines noticed that they were going past schools, local government offices, hospitals, and others that could use high-speed internet.  Since the county PUD was already providing electricity, water, sewer, and other public services it wasn't long before the decision was made to lay the fiber optic lines to the owners of those lines.....the taxpayers of the county.

Then it hit the fan. 

It seems those telecommunication companies, while not wanting to provide broadband to eastern Washington also did NOT want the local county government doing it!! 

So the political party of big government based in western Washington said that "there are some things government should NOT do....like provide internet services".  That is the quote from the Governor of Washington.  The quote by the Speaker of the House from the political party of small government based in eastern Washington said " it is OUR government and we can do what we want with it".

The political compromise was that the local counties could provide wholesale internet to county residents but not retail internet, even though they provided retail electricity, water, and other services.  Those counties that owned dams on the Columbia River moved into the 21st century.  The other counties were left behind.

It gets worse with the National Broadband plan. 

In 2010, the Federal government set up a program to provide high speed broadband services to communities.  At this point, the county provided high speed broadband to about 70% of county residents.  It was expensive to build,  at that point the county had invested in broadband 125 MILLION DOLLARS for 75,000 county residents.  Some of which are to young to even type the password on a keyboard!!

The county applied for a Federal grant to connect remaining county residents to the fiber optic system.  The Federal grant was in the neighborhood of 25 MILLION DOLLARS.

The county utility district did an analysis of the terms and conditions by the Federal government and discovered that it was more cost-efficient to turn the money BACK to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and build out the remainder of the system without Federal HELP!!!

Think about that.  The Federal government gives you 25 MILLION DOLLARS, but it is going to cost you MORE to accept the money. 

Is that similar to receiving a email from Nigeria???

That really was not a surprise since the former Governor of Washington State was the Cabinet Secretary responsible for the program.

The broadband policy in this country is a real mess and getting worse.

I might be with FDR on this one.  Set up a RURAL BROADBAND AGENCY similar to the RURAL ELECTRICFICATION AGENCY and just lay fiber optics lines throughout this country.  

Give first option to the county governments to operate the system within county lines.  Otherwise, sell it to the telecom's.

Full disclosure, I have had fiber-optic broadband for 20 years now and I have on order Starlink for my off-grid, off-ALL-TELECOMMUNICATION service for my second home in the county that is without electricity or broadband.

Do I trust StarLink??  Nope, well as little as I trust ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and Ziply Fiber.  But I must say, my trust comes as close to ZERO as possible as I learned in math class.

I will do fine no matter what....I cannot say the same for those in the "middle of somewhere" in the western US.

I would give first priority to those areas that are NOT infected by "urban covid refugees".  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by Vladimir

[k4rs]

I do not disagree with you.  Some (most?) of our broadband policies need to be improved.  However, claiming that Starlink is "too risky" to invest public funds is pure bovine excrement.

Safe Travels...

[Vladimir]

7 hours ago, k4rs said:

I do not disagree with you.  Some (most?) of our broadband policies need to be improved.  However, claiming that Starlink is "too risky" to invest public funds is pure bovine excrement.

Safe Travels...

I never said that!!  But Starlink and Musk have had plenty of public funds.

This country needs a broadband policy that provides broadband to the American people.  We are going on 25 years plus on the goal and billions of dollars later and are getting no closer to this goal.

Just build it, like the Interstate Highway System, and put it in public ownership.  I think the Corporations have failed.  

[Zulu]

15 minutes ago, Vladimir said:

I think the Corporations have failed.  

SpaceX is a corporation.

[folivier]

    "I would give first priority to those areas that are NOT infected by "urban covid refugees".  "

 

Just wondering what this statement means.

[hemsteadc]

Starlink does not service traveling RVs.

[Zulu]

Officially, not yet, but that hasn't stopped some people.

[hemsteadc]

22 minutes ago, Zulu said:

Officially, not yet, but that hasn't stopped some people.

I've seen that, but nowhere in that vid could I find anything about traveling.  I would think DTV may be able to rescue its failing business if they could offer internet service with their existing dishes.  I know  I'd sign up.

Edited September 13, 2021 by hemsteadc

[Dutch_12078]

4 hours ago, hemsteadc said:

I've seen that, but nowhere in that vid could I find anything about traveling.  I would think DTV may be able to rescue its failing business if they could offer internet service with their existing dishes.  I know  I'd sign up.

DTV Internet from the existing sats won't happen because it's not technically possible. Satellite Internet service requires a one to one two-way communications channel for each active subscriber. Satellite TV service does not, nor are the satellites equipped to support it.

[Vladimir]

On 9/12/2021 at 5:21 AM, folivier said:

    "I would give first priority to those areas that are NOT infected by "urban covid refugees".  "

 

Just wondering what this statement means.

There has been a HUGE influx of tech people into "desirable" rural areas. 

They have plenty of funds to support community broadband, however, there are huge areas of the country where there is not enough capitol to finance or build out broadband without Federal government help.

I live in a "infected" county. 

The county does own two dams on the Columbia River and sells the excess electricity.   The electrical sales generated enough funds to spend 125 million dollars of county funds to build a county broadband system that reaches 70% of county residents.  It would be helpful to have funds to build out the system. 

However, there are parts of the country that really need the help.  The Great Plains, the Indian Reservations, rural Montana,  New Mexico, etc.

MicroSoft has offered to "help" my county.  Yeah, it is really popular with remote MicroSoft employees. But most of the county has had high speed broadband for over two decades now.  If you want to do remote work here, get StarLinks or move to a area served by the county broadband system.

Hopefully, the Federal government will recognize that other areas should get priority.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Vladimir

[hemsteadc]

19 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

 Satellite TV service does not, nor are the satellites equipped to support it. (internet)

Yeah, I didn't think so.

[Ray,IN]

On 9/13/2021 at 2:40 PM, hemsteadc said:

I've seen that, but nowhere in that vid could I find anything about traveling.  I would think DTV may be able to rescue its failing business if they could offer internet service with their existing dishes.  I know  I'd sign up.

My local UDWIREMC offers high-speed internet with their electrical service. Dish offers me download service, but upload is dependent on hard phone lines-bummer, i still have copper phone line, fiber optic is not anticipated in my area.

I'm hoping tonights 100 Starlink satellite launch will put me in the coverage area.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Ray,IN

[Zulu]

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

I'm hoping tonights 100 Starlink satellite launch will put me in the coverage area.

Check Starlink's current availability

[Dutch_12078]

5 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

I'm hoping tonights 100 Starlink satellite launch will put me in the coverage area.

Only 51 laser equipped sats onboard last night's launch that will serve northern Canada and parts of northern Europe.

[Ray,IN]

On 9/14/2021 at 8:35 PM, Dutch_12078 said:

Only 51 laser equipped sats onboard last night's launch that will serve northern Canada and parts of northern Europe.

Well rats_. A few days ago it stated 100.

[Dutch_12078]

21 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

Well rats_. A few days ago it stated 100.

Wherever that was stated was wrong. The most Starlink sats SpaceX has ever launched on a Falcon 9 has been 60.