Communications facilitated by equipment that orbits around the earth.
Satellite
Ontario premier says he’s ‘ripping up’ $100 million contract with Musk’s Starlink in response to US tariffs
The leader of Canada’s most populous province of Ontario said he’s ripping up a contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet services in response to U.S.

BEAD Needs All Technologies to Succeed
The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program faces serious hurdles in its goal to “make sure that every American has access to reliable, affordable, high-speed Internet.” For one, traditional broadband is capital intensive, requiring large initial investments to deploy infrastructure. The theory behind BEAD was that it would resolve this issue through a massive one-time lump-sum expenditure to deploy broadband infrastructure to every American. However, we are now three years removed from when BEAD legisl
SpaceX Doesn't Want to Offer Starlink for $15, Requests Exemption From NY Law
SpaceX's Starlink is trying to exempt itself from a New York law requiring ISPs to offer internet plans starting at $15 per month for low-income residents. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act (ABA) recently went into effect, forcing broadband providers to offer low-inco

Texas Prepares to Launch LEO Satellite Grant Program to Expand Broadband Access in Rural Areas
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said his Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO) is piloting a competitive grant program to support the deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband service in rural, unserved areas of Texas, using $30 million from the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Fund. This initiative continues the Texas Legislature's directive to bridge the digital divide and ensure greater access to high-speed internet for all Texans.

FCC Recaps Work of the Space Bureau
The Federal Communications Commission heard reports on the agency’s work to create and build upon policy focused on the future of communications. One presentation summarized the FCC’s efforts to create its new Space Bureau, the future-forward policies created to fuel the New Space Age, and innovative spectrum efforts to enable the next generation of wireless technologies. These efforts included:

When Fiber is Too Expensive for BEAD, NTIA OKs Plans for Wireless, LEO
On January 2, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published the Final Bead Alternative Broadband Technology Policy Notice to provide additional guidance to states and territories regarding the use of non-fiber technologies to serve unserved and underserved locations through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The BEAD Program is designed to deploy broadband service to all unserved and underserved locations

Final BEAD Alternative Broadband Technology Policy Notice
The principal purpose of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is to deploy broadband service to all unserved and underserved locations. To achieve this goal, Eligible Entities (states) may fund a variety of technologies that satisfy the BEAD Program’s minimum technical requirements. The BEAD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) establishes a clear hierarchy of technologies that states must apply when awarding subgrants for Unserved and Underserved Service Projects: (1) Priority Broadband Projects (end-to-end fiber); (2) other Reliable Broadband Service (RBS) projects;

Elon Musk’s Political Influence Wears Down Global Resistance to Starlink
The global wall of resistance to Elon Musk’s satellite business is crumbling. Even before Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump retake the US presidency, SpaceX’s Starlink was picking off swaths of the world country by country.

How a Telecom Bureaucrat Learned to Speak Trump
In mid-November 2024, Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr flew to Palm Beach (FL) to clinch his dream job. The telecommunications lawyer and longtime Federal Communications Commission official dropped by a reception at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and met the incoming president, who recognized Commissioner Carr and praised his work. Two days later, Trump named Carr to lead the agency.

Chairwoman Rosenworcel Proposes New Spectrum Allocation for Space Launches
Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed the allocation of additional spectrum resources necessary for space launch communications needs. The Chairwoman has championed U.S. leadership in space launch activities and making Commission processes simpler and more open to new entrants. These rules would add spectrum to support space launch activities and build upon Commission action in 2023 that will enable companies to conduct launch activities without needing to request temporary authority from the FCC for each space launch.