Jason Rainbow
US rural broadband shift opens door wider for Starlink
The Trump administration has released new rules for distributing $42.5 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, easing restrictions on Starlink and other satellite providers competing for support under the program. The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said June 6 it will now apply a technology-neutral approach in awarding subgrants under BEAD.
One of 2022’s Notable Nine: Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is simultaneously raising the profile of space within the Federal Communications Commission and the FCC within the space industry. In November 2022, Chairwoman Rosenworcel announced plans to create a new Space Bureau within the agency. Space topics, like licensing satellites, had for decades been a part of the FCC’s International Bureau, but she argued the proposed reorganization would free up resources to address the growing number of satellites, particularly in broadband mega-constellations.