SpaceX Gets Approval for Satellite Internet
In 2013, about 22% of K-12 schools had access to broadband internet.
Today, 100% of public K-12 schools in North Carolina have access to high-speed, broadband internet. 98% of those schools have a dedicated fiber connection.
While students benefit greatly from high-speed internet access at school, many constituents—especially in more rural areas—lack access at home.
On March 29, 2018, the FCC released its approval of SpaceX’s plan to launch satellite internet that would provide worldwide coverage.
Traditional methods of building internet infrastructure present unique challenges in mountainous Western North Carolina. Entities that build internet infrastructure may be inclined to avoid large investments in infrastructure that only serve a handful of homes.
SpaceX’s ambitious satellite internet plan, which they call Starlink, holds great promise in alleviating infrastructure concerns caused by the terrain in Haywood, Madison, and Yancey counties.
Most current satellite internet service providers have satellites that orbit about 22,000 miles above the Earth. Even as internet traffic is sent to and from these high-orbit satellites at the speed of light, users on the ground experience slow internet speeds due to the great distance signals must travel.
SpaceX plans to launch their Starlink satellites into orbit at an altitude of 715-790 miles above Earth’s surface, which will reduce latency and improve end-user experience.
As part of the FCC’s approval, SpaceX is required to launch half of the 4,425 satellite array by 2024, and the full array by 2027.
