Abby Simmerman

In December 2022, SpaceX announced the creation of Starshield, a “secured satellite network for government entities.” The network is built on the back of SpaceX’s commercial constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that provide broadband service under the brand name Starlink. Instead of the commercial retail broadband service that Starlink provides, Starshield aims to serve government customers to support “Earth observation,” communications, and hosted payloads.

Starlink is all over the broadband news lately. The SpaceX-owned broadband provider has come a long way since it first launched 60 satellites in May 2019.

Broadband is critical to Pennsylvania’s economy, public services, and quality of life, enabling access to work, education, healthcare, and government services. Its importance is especially pronounced in rural and post-industrial communities, where connectivity supports economic opportunity and access to essential resources. Yet major gaps remain: over 130,000 locations lack broadband access, and roughly 2 million households struggle to afford service.

A new presidential administration will take office in January 2025, ushering in a new era at the Federal Communications Commission. Thanks to Project 2025, we have a unique ability to predict what this will mean for broadband regulation.

At least in the state of Virginia, counties are rural, yet they have been left out of the design of broadband deployment and the conversation around rural broadband. Nevertheless, they are a crucial part of the local broadband story, and their support can go a long way in bridging the digital divide. In this article, we offer preliminary analysis of a question about broadband deployment.