FCC Authorizes SpaceX To Provide Starlink Internet Service To Vehicles In Motion

The Federal Communications Commission authorized SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite internet to vehicles in motion, a key step for Elon Musk's company to further expand the service. CNBC reports: 'Authorizing a new class of [customer] terminals for SpaceX's satellite system will expand the range of broadband capabilities to meet the growing user demands that now require connectivity while on the move, whether driving an RV across the country, moving a freighter from Europe to a U.S. port, or while on a domestic or international flight,' FCC international bureau chief Tom Sullivan wrote in the authorization posted Thursday.

The FCC's authorization also includes connecting to ships and vehicles like semitrucks and RVs, with SpaceX having last year requested to expand from servicing stationary customers. SpaceX had already deployed a version of its service called 'Starlink for RVs,' with an additional 'portability' fee. But portability is not the same as mobility, which the FCC's decision now allows. The FCC imposed conditions on in-motion Starlink service. SpaceX is required to 'accept any interference received from both current and future services authorized,' and further investment in Starlink will 'assume the risk that operations may be subject to additional conditions or requirements' from the FCC. The report notes that the ruling 'did not resolve a broader SpaceX regulatory dispute with Dish Network and RS Access, an entity backed by billionaire Michael Dell, over the use of 12-gigahertz band -- a range of frequency used for broadband communications.' SpaceX is pushing for the regulator to make a ruling, saying the mobile service 'would cause harmful interference to SpaceX's Starlink terminals in the 12.2-12.7 GHz band more than 77% of the time.'

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