D.C. Memo: Elon ❤️ New York. Starlink to Offer Affordable Broadband Act Plan
◾ Lawyer: FCC Action on 39% Cap in Fast Lane ◾ State AGs Sue Trump over DEA Defund ◾ FCC's Carr Shutting Down Lifeline Loophole ◾ CAGW Salutes NTIA’s Cassady ◾ Veto Battle in N.C. Over REINS Act
Starlink: AT&T decided to pull its fixed wireless service after New York’s rate-setting Affordable Broadband Act went into effect on Jan. 15, 2025. Not Starlink. Elon Musk’s satellite Internet provider isn’t leaving the Empire State. Starlink now has an active webpage explaining how eligible low-income New Yorkers can sign up to pay $15 a month for 25 Mbps download speeds within the Residential Lite category. Although New York’s first-in-the-nation law capping certain broadband service rates required modems and routers to be included in the $15 price, it did not cap the price of Starlink terminals. They go for $349 (new) or $199 (refurbished). On Jan. 14, Starlink parent SpaceX asked the New York State Public Service Commission for an exemption from the law “as a provider serving fewer than 20,000 households within New York State.” It does not appear that the NYPSC provided a response.
