By: Harry Baldock, Total Telecom On Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave temporary approval for Starlink to provide D2D satellite services to parts of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane, which impacted the US southeast late last month, has heavily damaged communication infrastructure across multiple states. According to figures from the FCC, over 74 percent of mobile towers in affected areas were knocked out by the hurricane’s initial impact. Follow-up reports from last week suggested that roughly 20% remain out of action. In a statement, the FCC said that it was “ready to do all that is necessary to return connectivity to hard-hit areas and save lives”, with Commissionr Brendan Carr noting that “the focus is on enabling emergency alerts to smartphones”. Following the approval, Starlink says it is working with its partner T-Mobile to broadcast emergency alerts to mobile phones across affected parts of North Carolina, as well as initiating tests for basic text messaging capabilities over the satellite network. Starlink’s internet services – which require dedicated Starlink terminal devices to provide services – have already been made free to use for 30 days in areas affected by Helene. Space X had initially planned to launch commercial D2D services with T-Mobile at the end of this year, but the process had been slowed by regulatory disputes with the FCC, following complaints by rival companies. Thus, while this these temporary concessions are not a lasting solution for the company’s regulatory troubles, it will provide SpaceX with an invaluable live testing opportunity for its new technology. Unfortunately, whether this situation will lead to a less adversarial relationship between SpaceX and the FCC seems unlikely. SpaceX’s billionaire owner Elon Musk has a tumultuous relationship with the FCC for many years, having clashed with the Commission numerous times over licencing issues and the topic of ‘free speech’. In a Twitter post last week, Musk criticised the FCC for ‘revoking’ its $886 million in government funding for North Carolina back in 2022, saying that Starlink’s availability could have helped save lives in the aftermath of the hurricane. “Had the FCC not illegally revoked the SpaceX Starlink award, it would probably have saved lives in North Carolina,” said Musk in a tweet on Wednesday. “Lawfare costs lives.” The FCC, however, notes that it never ‘revoked’ funding for Starlink, but rather rejected the company’s bids for the fund as part of the normal review process. “Chairwoman Rosenworcel stands by the FCC’s thorough review of a program meant to provide long-term access to reliable and affordable broadband in rural communities,” the commission said in a statement. “In this instance, the agency denied public funds to more than a dozen companies—not just Starlink—who did not meet the program requirements. As an independent agency, the FCC takes seriously its obligation to ensure that taxpayer dollars only go to entities that fully comply with the rules and the law.” The FCC also noted that, even if the funds had been awarded to SpaceX, they would not have become available until 2025. Are telecoms providers doing enough to support their customers in a crisis? Join the discussion on community connectivity at this year’s Broadband Communities Summit West, live in San Diego, California. Share