D.C. Memo: Seafaring Cable Guy Lou Borrelli Sure Likes His Starlink Mini from Stem to Stern
The NCTC CEO, a sailor who relies on the Mini on the high seas, questioned broadband subsidies: ‘If we're all being brutally honest, does anybody think $7,500 a passing for BEAD money is a good idea?'
Today’s Headlines
■ Top Texas Republicans Want Audit of State Broadband Office over LEO Awards
■ AT&T Adds 367,000 Fiber, 279,000 FWA Subs in Second Quarter
■ Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) Seeks FCC Probe of ABC, NBC, and CBS over Trump Speech Non-Coverage
■ T-Mobile, AT&T Top Ookla’s Semiannual Network Performance Report
■ AT&T Quietly Ended FWA Boycott of New York after Affordability Law Dispute
■ Free State’s Kennedy: Pole Disputes Just Drag On, Stalling Broadband Deployment
■ Carr Praises Nomination of Adam Candeub to Head DOJ’s Antitrust Division
■ LAPD Chief Supports FCC License Renewal of Disney-Owned ABC7
CAPT. Cable: On a July 20 webinar to promote a cable trade show next week in Florida, the head of the National Content & Technology Cooperative made a few surprisingly candid remarks, including that Starlink is working just fine for him on the high seas. “I have a Starlink Mini. It works very well in the open water and when I’m on the dock or I’m mooring,” said NCTC President Lou Borrelli, who works from his boat in the summer, his Mini nailed to the stern. Borrelli also praised Starlink as a reliable, taxpayer-friendly Internet connection. “If we’re all being brutally honest, does anybody think $7,500 a passing for BEAD money is a good idea? Like I get it: People got approved for it, but come on now!” Borrelli said. He acknowledged being a fiber fan as a long-term solution and claimed Elon Musk’s Starlink could end up a niche service if it failed to “launch a ton more satellites, and that’s going to take a ton more money.” SpaceX just raised $85.7 billion in its June IPO. “You’ve got to pay attention. They’ve got more money than anybody I know.” (More after paywall)
