Looking Outside Our Orbit: How Satellites Can Reconnect Us in Crises
Hurricane Helene slammed into the southeastern United States at the end of September, leaving in its wake utter destruction from Florida to North Carolina. Today, at least 230 people are dead and 300,000 or more are still without power and connectivity. While families begin to pick up the pieces of their lives, Hurricane Milton, potentially even more dangerous than Helene, careens toward the Florida Gulf Coast. In the aftermath of such storms, it is painfully obvious that residents need to receive emergency information, contact family members, and begin to put their lives back together—and with phone lines and power lines down, internet connectivity is one of the few ways in which they can do so.
Fortunately, the same sky that delivers such devastating storms also provides a ray of hope: low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. This novel idea has revolutionized what connectivity means and profoundly changed how we can reconnect communities after a disaster. Indeed, thanks to rapid private-sector response, LEO networks are reconnecting communities at a record pace.
LEO technology relies on large constellations of small satellites that transmit signals directly to Earth. They can instantly provide high-speed broadband connections directly between consumer terminals and the orbiting satellite network.
Another case of LEO innovation is using satellites as cell towers in space to help maintain connectivity when towers are damaged or destroyed. However, to enable these new networks to function, there are regulatory hurdles to climb. Fortunately, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has granted—albeit temporarily—authority to T-Mobile and Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide direct-to-cell coverage, a move that dramatically expands network capacity and ensures mobile customers remain connected. While direct-to-cell connections are only a proof-of-concept initiative at this stage, they provide an opportunity for the technology to demonstrate how it can instantly help consumers receive emergency alerts and other vital information during crises. Independently, Apple has also used similar technology to enable iPhones to connect to satellites to send and receive emergency messages. Even Ukraine has used Starlink during the Russian invasion as a strategic asset as well as to keep its citizens online.
As new use cases emerge, policymakers would be wise to develop a framework that supports and promotes these innovative approaches. Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration has been slow to take advantage of these technologies. Neither the administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program nor the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund have been willing to fund LEO satellites as part of their deployment efforts to close the digital divide.
This is deeply disheartening. The fact is that many communities throughout the country are unreachable by fiber due to terrain, cost, or other factors. Countless individuals have been left on the wrong side of the digital divide for too long, and LEO satellites can change that. While the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration has finally decided to consider proposals to waive burdensome administrative requirements that have impeded a wider LEO rollout, LEO satellites still lack the federal funding needed to deliver more widespread connectivity, particularly in unserved areas.
It is worth noting that LEO is a nascent technology. While it is an amazing innovation and alternative to terrestrial networks, it is still best suited to specific use cases in rural communities and as a backup during natural disasters and other emergencies. Still, as with any new technology, in order to permit LEO satellites to reach their full connectivity potential as soon as possible, government must work rapidly to streamline regulations and remove the red tape that impedes deployment, especially in light of natural disasters or crises.