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Starlink tries to block Virginia’s plan to bring fiber Internet to residents (arstechnica.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Starlink operator SpaceX is fighting Virginia's plan to deploy fiber Internet service to residents, claiming that federal grant money should be given to Starlink instead. SpaceX is already in line to win over $3 million in grant money in the state but is seeking $60 million.

Starlink is poised to benefit from the Trump administration rewriting rules for the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grant program. While the Biden administration decided that states should prioritize fiber in order to build more future-proof networks, the Trump administration ordered states to revise their plans with a "tech-neutral approach" and lower the average cost of serving each location.

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[–] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

There are also hand held radios, strobelights, flares, and PLBs that do not require more satellite infrastructure.

People being lost in the wilderness is not a new problem. It often happens because people don't bother to consider that they might get lost and plan appropriately.

Sorry, but not everyone gets to come home, especially if they don't do a little planning.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    People should learn to navigate if they're going into the wilderness, and face the consequences if they don't. People will call for additional safety until we all live in padded cells. Frankly, people could stand to face a lot more danger in this world. Maybe then idiots will stop trying to pet the bears at Yellowstone. There's no need to litter the sky with satellites so that the incompetent can live a bit longer.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Ehhh agree that it frequently happens from poor planning, but I think we should do what we can to improve safety rather than blame victims. Learning about and paying for obscure satellite tech only helps those people who already know a lot about hiking, whereas this could bring the tech to everyone with a phone.

    But also I think they could do it with a lot fewer satellites than this. They don't need absolutely great coverage. Just a message service. The government could provide this on an emergency basis.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    Improving safety is the never-ending cry of a nanny state. The world is already spectacularly safe -- deadly though it still is. Most of the things that used to eat us are so long dead that we have forgotten to be cautious in the wilderness.

    And yeah, after seeing idiot losers trashing places like Yellowstone, I am absolutely fine when they get themselves killed in the middle of nowhere. I'm happier if they get rescued and learn from the experience, but we don't need to toy with Kessler Syndrome to incrementally improve their odds.

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