Can satellite broadband solve inequality of rural internet?
As we enter the future of communications technology with self-driving cars, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, millions of Americans still lack broadband. At least 21 million Americans lack access to home broadband, a necessity in today’s world. Our persistent digital divide is hardening into an “internet inequality,” and millions of Americans risk falling further behind without equal opportunities to compete for jobs, learn with online tools, and engage in civic discourse. We must address this problem now.
As a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, one of my major responsibilities is to ensure that all Americans have affordable access to communications. There are challenges to bringing service to the most remote areas of the U.S. where there is low population density and large amounts of land to cover. Fiber optic cable provides the fastest connection and is easy to upgrade, but like any technology involving digging trenches and attaching equipment to utility poles, is expensive. Wireless service doesn’t require the same type of infrastructure and could reach more remote populations with high-speed broadband. But it still requires significant investment and may not be the right choice for everyone because of pricing, coverage or data caps. The FCC and other federal and state agencies spend billions of dollars each year to subsidize rural broadband. But still, the problem of rural internet inequality persists.
Companies already offer internet services through satellites operating in geostationary orbits thousands of miles above the Earth. While traditional broadband providers start their networks in urban centers and expand outwards, satellite providers can serve everyone, regardless of geography, once their satellites are operational. These services are often the only connection available in remote areas. And because they do not depend on infrastructure that can be damaged in storms, they play an important role after natural disasters. While technology has improved, current satellite broadband offerings struggle as a mass-market broadband solution for several reasons, including pricing, slower speeds and latency – the delay between when a signal is transmitted and when it is received – which makes real-time communications difficult.
New developments are revitalizing satellite broadband. First, greater launch access has made it easier and less expensive to put satellites in orbit. In 2011, the year the space shuttle was retired, there were zero commercial satellite launches from the U.S. Last year, a single American company had 20 commercial launches. Second, companies like SpaceX, Amazon, and OneWeb promise to offer high-speed internet service via fleets of thousands of small satellites in low-Earth orbit. By operating large numbers of satellites at lower orbits, these new providers promise widespread, high-speed coverage while reducing latency to milliseconds. All without needing to navigate tricky terrain or lay countless miles of wire back on Earth.
The FCC’s stewardship of the public airwaves is one tool the agency can use to promote the delivery of communications services to all Americans. The coming satellite broadband surge challenges us to rethink our policies. In August, the Commission will consider streamlining the process for applications involving small satellites in low-Earth orbit. We should take a similar look at our processes for innovative satellite broadband operations to determine how they promote service to rural America. We must adopt policies that encourage investment in new networks and leave room for new competitive players and new services.
Rural Americans should demand new solutions to addressing internet inequality. In August, I’ll visit the Kennedy Space , where new launches are breathing life into this historic location. I am eager to see how the next generation of broadband satellites launched from the U.S. will help deliver internet access to rural areas. Companies are quickly moving to offer this service to customers—as soon as next year—and we will then learn more about the market for these services, and their speeds, pricing and availability. The Commission should do its part to fulfill the promise of this new space age and ensure that its policies are even-handed and generate solutions, not problems.
Geoffrey Starks is a Commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission.