Experts: Closing the Digital Divide Will Take More than Satellites
With the recent successes of Elon Musk s company SpaceX, satellite Internet has become a sexy new technology. Experts, though, advise against thinking that it is the sole solution to besting the digital divide. Shutterstock/Andrey VP
Although satellite Internet technology has advanced far beyond its initial capabilities, some experts have advised that the emerging broadband solution still has limitations that local and state stakeholders should consider.
In recent months, satellite Internet has been all over the news, particularly in events involving Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband service and government projects. Last fall, Starlink was used in Washington to connect a fire-devastated rural area as well as the Hoh Tribe Reservation. In December, SpaceX, the company behind Starlink, took home $886 million in federal funds to provide service to more than 600,000 locations across the country.