U.S. rejects broadband subsidies for SpaceX’s Starlink, LTD
2022.08.10 21:30
FILE PHOTO: SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks on a screen during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Wednesday it was rejecting the applications of SpaceX’s Starlink and LTD Broadband to receive government subsidies through a rural fund.
In the initial auction results announced in December 2020, LTD Broadband won $1.32 billion and SpaceX won $885.5 million.
“Starlink’s technology has real promise,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “But the question before us was whether to publicly subsidize its still developing technology for consumer broadband – which requires that users purchase a $600 dish – with nearly $900 million in universal service funds until 2032.”
