The thing Starlink is replacing is not gigabit, it’s rural DSL providers who charge an arm and a leg for 20Mbps. The gigabit thing is just pie in the sky idealism while Starlink you can sign up for today.
I don't think that "multibillionaire gets big chunk of the money intended for building durable infrastructure due to being friends with/funding the president, resulting to no infrastructure being actually built" is shocking (anymore) but it was still worth watching.
Last I heard, plenty of non-satellite internet providers have also taken billions from those programs, then pretty much ignored the associated obligations.
And it's not a "Trump" issue, either. The rot also thrived under Biden.
Over the last 30 years there have been plenty of attempts if you will to build out fiber. Some did lay fiber, others seem to have not.
The Biden bill did get my parents fiber in rural Wisconsin because the local ISP actually wanted to deliver Internet.
I think the government was hoping that raising and holding providers accountable with the bandwidth tests would have solved that but enforcement is one place this is falling down.
All you need to know about Starlink and why it's getting a free pass.
And it's not a "Trump" issue, either. The rot also thrived under Biden.
The Biden bill did get my parents fiber in rural Wisconsin because the local ISP actually wanted to deliver Internet.
I think the government was hoping that raising and holding providers accountable with the bandwidth tests would have solved that but enforcement is one place this is falling down.