Despite the war of words, Trump may lead billions of dollars to Musk’s Starlink with changes

Less than 24 hours after President Trump’s threat Ending the contracts of Ellen Musk governmentIts Trade Department Publishing notice It can change tens of billions of dollars from federal financing to Musk’s Starlink Internet service.

It is expected that Starlink will receive up to $ 20 billion in the wide stocks of shares, access, and spread under the new rules – an increase of $ 4.1 billion previously obtained, according to Wall Street Journal report Posted in March.

“This is a huge gift for Starlink,” Drew Garner, director of politics at the Bentone Institute for the Broad and Society, told CNET. “For me, this seems to be another example of Tako Trump is delaying and handing over money.

The Bead Law program was signed as part of the 2021 investment and investment law. It is the largest investment that the government has ever expanded in expanding the scope of access to the Internet-a set of money that was supposed to provide every American with a high-speed internet option in their home.

Critics love to point out that more than three years have passed since the creation of the program, and there are still no houses connected by Bead. However, it is largely on the right track with the schedule shown in the original law. Trade Minister Howard Lootnick repeatedly cited the need to spread a faster and cheapest pill, but industry monitors were already telling me before the elections that a Trump’s victory will change billions of dollars In a pill towards Starlink.

“Neutral technology” approach

Bead has been written to set the internet priorities to expand fiber to rural areas, but the new rules impose the “neutral technology” approach. While the previous rules have given countries a deadline to clarify the type of communication in how to give them money, the new rules mainly impose that the money needs to go to the cheapest further.

Evan Finman, former director of Bead who He left in March with an e -mail warning from imminent changes. He added that different types of internet connections “have different performance capabilities, have different costs of work, and have different reliability properties. It has a lot of different speeds.”

The fiber is widely considered the golden standard for internet communications, and the countries have been gave an overwhelming majority of a pill for Internet providers fiber. The exception in remote areas was in particular, as it could be expensive to install fiber on the basis of everything.

“The fiber is great, but our cost estimates appear somewhere about $ 120 (thousand) to $ 130,000 per site just because it is connected to the fibers,” Greg Conte, Director of the Broad Development Office in Texas, Tell me in a previous interview About rural areas in West Texas.

Starlink still compete with other Internet service providers in all these states, and there is nothing to ensure that they have the cheapest bids. Feinman also predicted that unlicensed fixed wireless service providers will greatly benefit from the new rules.

New rules also eliminate employment and environmental requirements and the ability to withstand costs

“Starlink will be an important beneficiary of these changes,” said Finmann. “This is not the only thing they are doing.”

There are a number of other amendments in the new rules that aim to accelerate the publication by removing “organizational burdens”. The work requirements used in beads projects, climate elastic plans and clear neutrality are eliminated.

But the person who jumped to me more than others was what was called “organizing the price of the background”. Previously, he was required of service providers who take money Providing a reduced plan for low -income population. that it Well -understood The reason why most people have no internet connection because it is not available – they cannot afford it. A year has passed since The communication program at reasonable prices has ended. Federal support provided $ 30 per month to help low -income families pay internet service.

The Internet is already more expensive in rural areas – Starlink plans start from $ 80 per month, with a cost of $ 349 for equipment – and many families may struggle to withstand any connection available to them as soon as Bead is complete.

Garner said: “Today, the Secretary Lootnick removed the heart from the provisions of the ability to bear the costs in a pill,” said Garner. “It is basically only allowing the introductions to start providing something affordable.”

Will the bead changes on the Internet get faster?

The bold of the country’s broadcasting offices expressed dread and its explicit warning when discussing the possible changes to the beads of this game late in the game. In April, a group of 115 legislators in the states sent an open letter to Minister Lutnick urging him not to tamper with the program.

“It was broken by the Federal Reserve alone, and the Federalists are preparing to break it again,” Missouri Luis Reges, Republican, Republic, Tell me at that time. “Why don’t you leave it only to the states to decide what they want to do in terms of technology, instead of putting your thumb on the scale?”

Countries will have 90 days to comply with the new obligations. Many states were already approaching the finish line of their spending plans, and even Louisiana, Dillauer and Nevada to the final approvals. Ironically, the efforts made to simplify a pill may end more.

“They are very concerned, because as much as we can say, it starts 90 days today,” Garner said. “All of them in the middle of the road, and they had gone out of the carpet under it. It is difficult to see how all this work is not collapsing at the present time.”