SpaceX Explains Why Starlink Maps Don't Match FCC Broadband Maps

pcmag.com:

Did SpaceX submit false data to the FCC about Starlink’s availability? Not quite, the company says. In a letter(Opens in a new window) to the agency, SpaceX is addressing why the FCC’s official broadband maps don’t always match up with the company’s own availability maps on Starlink.com. 

If you look at the FCC’s official broadband maps, you’d assume SpaceX’s Starlink system is available(Opens in a new window) in most places across the US, allowing customers to sign up for a satellite internet service that can reach 100Mbps, or even 350Mbps in download speeds.

But in reality, for many locations across the US, the residential version of Starlink—which is focused on consumers—is at capacity, meaning would-be customers are put on a waitlist. You can see this if you visit the official availability map(Opens in a new window) on Starlink.com, which shows the satellite internet system has waitlisted large swathes of the continental US. 

The discrepancy has prompted some users to challenge(Opens in a new window) Starlink’s availability in the official FCC broadband maps. But in its letter to the FCC, SpaceX argues it didn’t provide false data to the commission: It was simply trying to comply with the FCC’s request for a mapping system that can’t quite capture the nuances of Starlink’s various service tiers. 

“SpaceX crafted its availability data based on the technical capabilities of the Starlink system and a close reading of the rules governing the program,” the company wrote. “The branding of Starlink’s various services —e.g., Residential, Business, or RV— were not discussed because the rules for the program do not indicate that a service plan’s branding is relevant for purpose of determining availability at a specific