FCC's Trusty Does Not Believe in the Great Starlink Replacement Theory

Republican FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty said Monday that satellite broadband is complementing, not replacing, fiber networks, pushing back on the idea that Starlink and other low-Earth orbit services will make terrestrial broadband obsolete. In an Aug. 10 speech in the Dominican Republic, Trusty argued that satellite connectivity expands access to remote and underserved areas, and that innovation such as streaming video has historically driven investment in faster networks rather than shrinking the economic pie.

Policyband https://broadbandbreakfast.com/tag/policyband/ FCC's Trusty Does Not Believe in the Great Starlink Replacement Theory 'Satellite connectivity is not replacing fiber. It is complementing fiber,' Trusty said Monday in a speech in the Dominican Republic Ted Hearn /author/ted/ ■ NCTA CEO to Congress: Permitting Delays Threaten BEAD Program ■ Socialist Sanders Tells AI Giants to Hit Pause or Else ■ Massachusetts Town Poised to Spend $43.5 Million to Overbuild Charter ■ Roslyn Layton: Carr’s FCC Made Right Call to Lift 39% Cap ■ Duff & Phelps Analysts: Starlink Mobile Not Ready for Prime Time ■ TDS Paid $24.4 Million for Granite State Communications LEO: Republican FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty does not believe in the Great Starlink Replacement Theory. “Satellite broadband is expanding connectivity to places where traditional terrestrial networks remain difficult or uneconomical to deploy. That is particularly meaningful for island nations, remote communities, maritime industries, and disaster recovery,” she said. “Satellite connectivity is not replacing fiber. It is complementing fiber. It is helping to extend the reach of digital opportunity to everyone, everywhere.” Trusty addressed the LEO issue and other policies in an Aug. 10 speech https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-424105A1.pdf?ref=broadbandbreakfast.com at a conference in the Dominican Republic. She noted markets continue to generate surprises. “… History consistently reminds us that innovation rarely shrinks the economic pie. More often than not, it expands it,” she said. “When streaming video entered the market some questioned whether broadband networks could handle the explosive growth in traffic. Yet consumer demand for streaming became one of the strongest incentives for providers to invest in faster fiber networks, upgraded wireless infrastructure, and more resilient internet architecture.” More after paywall