Eau Claire County, Wis., Begins Free Starlink Internet Pilot
A one-year pilot in Eau Claire County, Wis., will provide free Internet to 50 residents through Elon Musk's satellite service, Starlink. The residents will receive equipment soon.
June 25, 2021 •
(TNS) — Participants in a rural broadband project should receive their Internet equipment in the near future.
The yearlong pilot project focuses on unserved businesses and households in rural parts of southeastern Eau Claire County. It is operated by SpaceX's Starlink and costs $85,000 total. The county chose 50 participants who will receive a year of free Internet as part of the project.
During the Eau Claire County Broadband Committee meeting Thursday, County Information Systems Director Dave Hayden said 48 of the 50 users signed and returned memoranda of understanding to the county. That allowed Starlink to email the users a link and instructions to set up their accounts. Once the accounts are set up, Starlink will ship the equipment for the users to install, who should be able to receive Internet from the Starlink satellite orbiting above the planet.