FEATURE
IS GRAVEL SWITCH, KENTUCKY A THREAT TO THE FINANCIAL VIABILITY OF STARLINK? BY GREG BERLOCHER
INTRODUCTION
Starlink is a magnificent amalgam of advanced technologies in a single network architecture, including software defined satellite modems; satellites produced in assembly-line fashion; electronically steerable satellite antennas capable of tracking satellites; recyclable launch vehicles that can inject scores of satellites into low earth orbit in a single launch; and thousands of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites that orbit approximately 400 miles above the Earth’s surface. The Starlink constellation of satellites was specifically designed to provide low latency, high speed Internet service at reasonable prices. Starlink quickly captured the imagination of everyone in Unserved & Underserved Land and dreams of Starlink terminals quickly displaced ponies as the most wanted Christmas gifts in rural America. Unfortunately, the financial titans, network architects, software developers, and RF engineers that created Starlink underestimated a risk that could threaten the economic viability of Starlink: Gravel Switch, Kentucky.
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Additonal financial threats to Starlink will come from Cut and Shoot, Texas; Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and Booger Hole, West Virginia. Although these communities were singled out for their humorous names, they exemplify small towns and communities across the United States being targeted for fiber projects. In 2022, there was an unusually aggressive number of fiber projects installed in the United States and the number of homes passed by fiber reached its highest number ever. Could the aggressive rollout of rural fiber networks cut into the potential subscriber base that Starlink desperately needs for financial viability?
UNSERVED & UNDERSERVED MARKETS
As part of the $787 Economic Stimulus Package in 2009, the Federal Government allocated $7.2 Billion for broadband services for unserved or underserved markets. Designed to close the digital equity divide, the funds in the stimulus package were specifically allocated to build out broadband access in areas where it wasn’t economically via-