Maine will offer Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite dishes to the roughly 9,000 homes and businesses in the state that still lack internet service.
The Maine Connectivity Authority shared that plan Thursday while launching the Working Internet ASAP Program that will help the state fulfill its goal of offering internet connection options to all Mainers by the end of this year.
The news: To bring service to the 1.5 percent of Maine homes and businesses without it, the state will coordinate the purchase of Low-Earth Orbit satellite hardware and service reservations from Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Musk.
Musk, the world’s richest person whose ownership portfolio also includes Tesla and X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has not shied away from touting Starlink while also courting controversy as he stumps for former President Donald Trump.
Starlink has already brought internet to rural parts of Maine in recent years, though early users in 2021 complained of high prices and dropped connections. The Maine Connectivity Authority said Thursday it selected Starlink following a competitive bid process this summer.
What’s the cost: Brian Allenby, the connectivity authority’s senior director of program operations, said the total cost of purchasing the equipment along with offering free shipping and professional installation is still not set, especially given not all households may take the offer. Allenby cautioned a broadband-focused news outlet’s report on how the equipment alone likely will cost $5.4 million does not capture all considerations.
The outlet, Broadband Breakfast, said Maine is possibly the first state in the nation to provide free Starlink satellites to unserved residents. Starlink terminals currently cost around $600. Maine will not cover Starlink’s monthly $120 service charge that comes with unlimited data.
State funding will cover the satellite expansion, and Allenby said federal funding could help the program in the long run. In 2025, the Maine Connectivity Authority will also use $350 million from the federal Broadband Equity and Access Program to boost service to the remaining 5 percent of Maine, or about 29,000 locations, with slow or unreliable internet service.
The big picture: Most of the roughly 9,000 homes and businesses without internet service are in Oxford, Aroostook and Penobscot counties, according to Allenby. But a Maine Connectivity Authority map illustrates how areas throughout the state lack service.
What’s next: Starting in November, eligible Maine homes and businesses that lack internet connections can apply on a rolling basis for the Starlink satellites through an enrollment portal. The state will also use a marketing campaign to spread the word about the offer.
What they’re saying: Gov. Janet Mills noted in a Thursday news release she set the goal in 2022 of connecting all Mainers to the internet by the end of this year.“While we build the infrastructure for our future, we can’t afford for people to be living in the digital dark,” Maine Connectivity Authority President Andrew Butcher said in a statement.
