To help close the digital divide,Thailand SpaceX will offer satellite internet to the education sector.
The company’s Starlink satellite internet service is partnering with a school district in Texas to supply free broadband to dozens of families living in the surrounding rural area, starting in early 2021. It's the first time SpaceX has worked with a school district to harness Starlink, according to the Ector County Independent School District, which announced the partnership on Tuesday.
The school district plans on first supplying the high-speed internet to 45 families who live in rural Pleasant Farms, before expanding it to 90 families. According to local media outlet Odessa America, the project will cost $300,000, with half of the funds coming from education advocacy group Chiefs for Change.
“Our research clearly indicates the lack of broadband access is a crisis in Ector County,” said Scott Muri, the school district’s superintendent, in a statement.
The district—located west of Dallas, Texas—needs the broadband access to enable online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused schools across the country to shut down or cap the number of students in physical classrooms. According to the district’s own surveys, 39 percent of the families have limited or no internet access.
SpaceX’s Starlink is promising to fill the gap. The company’s system is currently capable of delivering 100Mbps download speeds at a latency of around 30 milliseconds, which is on par with ground-based internet.
Interestingly, SpaceX is bringing the satellite internet to Texas, a US state in the lower latitudes. Currently, the company is promising to start a public beta for Starlink soon, but in the higher latitudes for locations in northern U.S. and southern Canada.
However, by early 2021, SpaceX is expected to have launched additional satellites into orbit to power the Starlink network, enabling it to improve the broadband coverage. As of today, Starlink operates over 800 satellites, but the goal is to eventually have thousands more in orbit. The company is planning to launch the satellite internet system worldwide to consumers next year, although the cost remains unknown at this point.
Still, the Ector County Independent School District is hopeful Starlink will prove to be a “permanent solution” capable of addressing the broadband woes across the state.
Mary Shows Up
Many Indigenous communities still lack broadband internet. Here's why.
Best Buy Outlet sale: Score AirPods, gaming laptops, and appliances up to 50% off
Best smartphone deal: Save $150 on Google Pixel Pro 9
Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
Best smartphone deal: Save $150 on Google Pixel Pro 9
Arsenal vs. Manchester United 2025 livestream: Watch FA Cup for free
How to unblock TikTok for free
Best Max streaming deal: Save 20% on annual subscriptions
Best Apple iPad Mini deal: Save $100 at Best Buy
Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
Best MacBook deal: Save $200 on Apple 2022 MacBook Air
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic 2025 livestream: Watch NBA online
NYT mini crossword answers for January 14, 2025
Best iPad deal: Save $132 on Apple iPad (10th Gen)
Best Samsung TV deal: Samsung 55
Best grocery deal: Buy $35 of groceries at Amazon and save $10
Amazon Fire tablets on sale: Save up to 44% on top models
NYT Connections hints and answers for May 10: Tips to solve 'Connections' #699.
Best 4K TV deal: Save $200 on Amazon Fire TV 55
Most watched TV shows and movies of the week (Aug 20)White Elephant gets a wild twist at this family's holiday party'Meditations' delivers a daily dose of play to keep you chill in 2019Rose the muddy dog has the energy we need to start the year off rightFiona the Hippo celebrates her big 1,000 pound milestoneBusted: Looks like Alexandria OcasioWhat to expect from Apple's iPhone 14 September eventMost watched TV shows and movies of the week (Aug 20)How to change your Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge locations while travelingTwitter is working on a 'phone number verification badge'Snapchat just released dogWordle today: Here's the August 18 Wordle answer and hints'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for August 24Most watched TV shows and movies of the week (Aug 20)Most watched TV shows and movies of the week (Aug 20)Queen Aemma: MVP of 'House of the Dragon' Episode 1, 'The Heirs of the Dragon'Cane toads hitch a ride on a python and it's the stuff of nightmaresMcDonald's and Greggs clap back at Piers Morgan's vegan tweetsNetflix went down for lots of users on FridayInstagram's testing a new feature that steps on BeReal's turf Twitter totally solves all of its problems with new profile photos Artist masterfully inserts 'The Simpsons' characters into real life From space, everything looks pretty, even dangerous algal blooms Facebook vows to fight terrorism with new algorithms and artificial intelligence Dude pulls the meanest prank you can pull in a crowded airport Scientist reminds everyone NASA T Uber execs shared rape survivor's medical records, so now she's suing the ride Razer's 2017 Blade Stealth laptop has no gimmicky Touch Bar Lily Allen and Jamie Oliver are offering free food and shelter to victims of the London tower fire How tablets are transforming the lives of young refugees in sub Determined teen takes her exams even after deadly London fire destroys her home Fox News dropped its 'Fair and Balanced' slogan a year ago and no one noticed Being a 'Hunger Games' fan gave tween first aid skills needed to save friend's life Facebook is about to look like a Hallmark store exploded Hillary Clinton's comments about 'Wonder Woman' are pretty perfect Conor McGregor gloriously trolled Floyd Mayweather in announcing their much Woman discovers very nasty surprise in her orange juice carton Sports Dad LaVar Ball gets trolled by son Lonzo in hilarious Footlocker ad Family seeks live Facebook finally, finally, finally lets you put GIFs in comments