Starlink Plans to Join Affordable Connectivity Fund Subsidy Program

WASHINGTON, December 20, 2023 – Elon Musk’s global satellite Internet company Starlink is close to joining a major federal broadband subsidy program.

David Goldman, Vice President of Satellite Policy for SpaceX, disclosed today that Starlink plans to enter the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) run by the Federal Communications Commission for the past two years.

“We are eligible for it, and we are planning on participating. We haven’t turned it on yet.” Goldman said today on a webcast sponsored by Broadband Breakfast.

Starlink’s standard unlimited data plan costs $120 a month in addition to the upfront equipment charge of $599. The ACP provides a $30 a month discount on monthly broadband bills for eligible households.

David Goldman, Vice President of Satellite Policy for SpaceX, during Broadband Breakfast Live Online event.

Starlink, Goldman said, has deployed about 5,500 satellites into low earth orbit – about 340 miles. He said current generation satellites have download speeds four times faster than the speeds of earlier versions, producing “urban-quality” broadband.

“We also are available anywhere in the United States, all 50 states, and we have cleared any kind of backlog that we have,” Goldman said, adding that Starlink serves more than 2 million subscribers globally.

Hosted by Drew Clark, Editor and Publisher of Broadband Breakfast, the webinar also included: Kalpak Gude, Head of Domestic Regulatory Affairs, Project Kuiper; Kelly Martin, Account Director, Eutelsat OneWeb; and Martin Marshall, Senior Sales Engineer Services & Platforms, Eutelsat OneWeb.

The ACP – which originally received $14.2 billion from Congress to help with the recovery from COVID-19 – is expected to run out of money by next April. That could impact up to 25 million households, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in Nov. 30 House testimony. President Biden has requested $6 billion to keep ACP going.

Senior Capitol Hill Republicans have pushed back on Rosenworcel’s estimate, pointing to data from the Universal Service Administrative Company that only 16% and 22% of current ACP enrollees did not have Internet access prior to the launch of the ACP.

This article by Ted Hearn was originally published on Policyband on December 20, 2023, and is reprinted with permission.

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Wednesday, December 20, 2023 – Space Wars: What to Expect from Satellite Broadband

As satellite internet providers like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper continue expanding, the race for space-based broadband is heating up. With the FCC approving SpaceX’s Gen2 satellite deployment and Amazon testing prototype launches, these companies are poised to blanket the skies with thousands more satellites. What are the implications of this new phase, particularly the potential for interference issues, orbital debris concerns and 5G backhaul capabilities? What about the regulatory and policy questions surrounding mega-constellations and space commercialization? Will satellite broadband address the current digital divide, potentially on a global scale? Join the discussion for informed perspectives on the path forward amid the space broadband boom.

Panelists

David Goldman, Vice President of Satellite Policy for SpaceX
Kalpak Gude, Head of Domestic Regulatory Affairs, Project Kuiper
Kelly Martin, Account Director, Eutelsat OneWeb
Drew Clark (moderator), Editor and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast

David Goldman is the Vice President of Satellite Policy for SpaceX. Prior to joining SpaceX in 2018, he was the Chief Counsel for the Senate Communication and Technology Subcommittee since January 2015. Before that, he served as the Senior Legal Advisor for FCC then-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, and was her chief advisor on wireless, international, and public safety issues, along with responsibility for other issues of policy, strategy, public relations, and office operations.

Kalpak Gude is the Head of Domestic Regulatory Affairs for Project Kuiper at Amazon. He is also responsible for Project Kuiper’s space safety and sustainability efforts on a global basis. Prior to Amazon, Mr. Gude was General Counsel at Swarm Technologies and President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance trade association. He has also had senior roles in the U.S. government at the FCC and U.S. Senate, as well as in industry at OneWeb, Intelsat and PanAmSat.

Kelly Martin is Director for OneWeb servicing government segments including government grant programs, federal government, state & local, and international defense. OneWeb’s go-to-market strategy is through distribution partners. In her director role, Kelly interfaces with AT&T, Hughes and X2nSat in bringing LEO satellite services to the end-user.

Breakfast Media LLC CEO Drew Clark has led the Broadband Breakfast community since 2008. An early proponent of better broadband, better lives, he initially founded the Broadband Census crowdsourcing campaign for broadband data. As Editor and Publisher, Clark presides over the leading media company advocating for higher-capacity internet everywhere through topical, timely and intelligent coverage. Clark also served as head of the Partnership for a Connected Illinois, a state broadband initiative.