‘Inferior’ Starlink Will Leave Rural Americans Worse Off, Says Ousted Federal Official

The head of the Commerce Department’s ambitious plan to expand fiber internet access across rural America warned on Sunday that opening the door to SpaceX’s Starlink would leave rural Americans worse off. Evan Feinman, who directed the program for the last three years, wrote in a departing email to staff that Starlink’s satellite internet is “inferior” to alternatives, “delivering slower speeds at higher costs to the household paying the bill.” Elon Musk, along with Republications, has vociferously attacked the rural broadband program launched under President Biden, called the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program (BEAD). Three years after launch, no internet expansion projects have begun with the program’s $42.5 billion in funding, though three states were awaiting final approvals just as President Trump took office. Musk has regularly used X to lambast the program, of course, while pushing his own Starlink service. Howard Lutnick, the new Commerce Secretary, has said the ... Read full article.