Comments on: FCC raises questions about SpaceX’s application to link cell phones to Starlink https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/ Thu, 09 Nov 2023 06:45:20 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: MDN https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433309 Thu, 09 Nov 2023 06:45:20 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433309 The FCC interest is indeed legitimate, but at the same time irrelevant. America is a first world state and terrestrial infrastructure already delivers excellent cell service to 95% of our population.

The real market for Starlink to Cell connectivity are 3rd world states who have virtually no terrestrial infrastructure. Think sub-Saharan Africa and Indonesia where some 1.5B still live with almost no modern connectivity. THIS is an emerging market that Starlink will dominate, much through national government subsidies I imagine to help bootstrap their nations into the global economy. And that positions Elon to exploit his PayPal experience, digital infrastructure expertise (witness Tesla and SpaceX automated operations), and social media platform X to expand Starlink into an integrated comm services provider surpassing even Amazon.

And THAT is why Bezos is starting to finally shake things up a bit at Blue Origin as I expect he is now realizing just how behind the curve his golden goose really is. I wish him luck, but he does not have Musk’s dynamic range and strategic planning skills. But in the end competition is always a good thing and will prove useful to keep Musk honest.

In the end though it is Huawei and the Chicoms who will be his biggest rival as they will blatantly steal all the tech and copy SpaceX. But no one moves as fast as SpaceX and Musk is operating inside their OODA loop, so they will be very hard pressed to catch up.

My 27 cents worth anyway. : )

]]> By: Dennis P Keating https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433301 Thu, 09 Nov 2023 03:55:37 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433301 The concerns do appear to be reasonable. But given the regulators need to regulate, I think their biggest concern is that it might interfere with the FCC’s interference of commerce for their own power.

]]> By: Gary https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433275 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 21:34:49 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433275 At this point multiple federal agencies, in sequential order, are going to object to anything SpaceX proposes.

]]> By: Ferris https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433273 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:40:44 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433273 Blackwing1,

A military that is foolish enough to work on replacing vehicles powered by fossil fuels with vehicles powered by batteries is foolish enough to eliminate any successful options for launching military satellites.

Never underestimate the power of stupidity.

]]> By: John Fisher https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433267 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:07:29 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433267 This actually does appear to be in the FCC’s swim lane. As the system has to use the same frequencies as the terrestrial network and the satellite has to have a pretty high gain antenna to make this work, the possibility of significant interference is real. AST, who is planning a similar service, has launched a test satellite with a 64 sq meter array. https://interactive.satellitetoday.com/via/december-2022/sizing-up-the-satellite-to-cell-opportunity/

]]> By: GeorgeC https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433263 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:32:20 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433263 A thousand phased array systems all in line of sight to a given point, fixed or moving, does have dual use applications in SIGINT or jamming. Pretty obvious.

]]> By: Blackwing1 https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/fcc-raises-questions-about-spacexs-application-to-link-cell-phones-to-starlink/#comment-1433245 Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:39:41 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=100098#comment-1433245 What would be amusing (if it weren’t so terrifying) about the federal government’s attempts to destroy Starlink, SpaceX, and Musk himself, is that it is decidedly two-minded.

On the one hand you’ve got the various and sundry three-letter agencies all trying to shut down the space-centered activities including (but certainly not limited to) the FCC, the FAA, the F&W.

And on the other hand you’ve got the DoD handing them a contract for military satellite launches.

If they do succeed in shutting down SpaceX launches for utterly bogus reasons (the Fish & Wildlife one would be hysterical if it weren’t for real) what’ll the military do for a launching system?

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