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Starlink, Amazon asking for $300M of Colorado’s broadband money after federal rule changes
The Colorado Sun ^ | July 25 20225 | Tamara Chuang

Posted on 07/30/2025 8:45:15 AM PDT by MagillaX

Rule changes and an aggressive new timeline on how Colorado can use its $826.5 million in federal broadband dollars had local internet providers scrambling this month. All had to reapply for grants to subsidize new internet infrastructure for underserved rural communities — including ISPs who had already received preliminary approvals.

(Excerpt) Read more at coloradosun.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: amazon; bead; broadband; starlink
From what I noticed. The liberal deep state has quite a bit invested in this program and expects big payouts. Part of that big payout was going to be with the non deployment portion. Smartly the administration put that on hold. The liberal deep state had quite a bit of heartburn with that. Now at this point they are pushing for as much of a fiber build as possible attacking satellite providers (mostly Musk).

The Satellite companies have come in and underbid the fiber providers. Satellite has also made promises they are able to provide the same levels of service as a fiber placement. Being the technology is new I can understand the caution but the liberal deep state is actively looking for ways to avoid Satellite deployment or to keep it at a minimum.

This is be done by exaggerating Satellite weakness such as tree canopy or congestion and applying those weaknesses over a larger scale that they would normally warrant so that hey are not considered a viable option.

It would be wise for Sec. Lutnick to scrutinize the final proposals for fairness in assessment and for overstatement of satellite weaknesses. As well as holding high cost services in check.

A reasonable common sense approach with adequate technology proportioning would provide sustainability and redundancy

1 posted on 07/30/2025 8:45:15 AM PDT by MagillaX
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To: MagillaX

The USDA’s “rural economic development” incompetent fraudsters have pulled this scam for 10-15 years now. Even after they grift millions out of Congress, the result is dark fiber because there is never a viable business plan to actually use it to deliver services. Meanwhile private companies have built wireless networks that deliver internet speeds good enough for streaming on their own dime and Starlink is now far more affordable than previous Hughes, etc satellite services were.

The whole thing is a made-up issue just like “food desserts” - look around and you’ll find rural America is enjoying high speed internet service just like those living in food desserts are so fat they have to use the handi-cart to get around Walmart.


2 posted on 07/30/2025 8:58:35 AM PDT by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back)
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To: MagillaX

Makes no sense to run fiber to podunkville and definitely not to many rural houses where the driveways a a half mile or more to the road. You are never going to get them hooked up. Drop a Starlink receiver in the yard and they are good to go in a few minutes.


3 posted on 07/30/2025 9:04:17 AM PDT by gunnut
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To: MagillaX

Satellite and cellular makes for redundancy.


4 posted on 07/30/2025 9:09:15 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: MagillaX

“Part of that big payout was going to be with the non deployment portion.”

I’m not sure what this means and would like to know more.


5 posted on 07/30/2025 9:12:16 AM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: MagillaX

Starlink is the obvious solution. Low cost. Home by home install. No running miles and miles of fiber.

You basically buy a starlink antenna for every homebuyer.

There would be money left over.


6 posted on 07/30/2025 9:14:59 AM PDT by ModelBreaker
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To: MagillaX
We own a piece of farmland on a small lake in middle Michigan that is about as rural as it gets. Last summer a company ran fiber along the road in front of our property. Knowing how much it costs to install and maintain fiber, I cannot believe there is enough population density to ever make a return on this investment.

However, if the installation was subsidized by federal grant money, then it was just busy work to make $$.

7 posted on 07/30/2025 9:19:16 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: MagillaX

I made this comment yesterday on a similar post:

Mediacom just came through my rural “underserved” neighborhood and laid cable. One of the workers told me it was a state grant. They seemed to be in a major hurry and got the cable run very quickly and then...disappeared. This the second time someone has done this. I found coax cable buried in my yard and asked a long time neighbor. He said they came in, laid the cable, and were never heard from again. I’ve got T Mobile home internet that I’m totally satisfied with and if I change it will be to Starlink.


8 posted on 07/30/2025 12:08:57 PM PDT by suthener ( I do not like living under our homosexual, ghetto, feminist government.)
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To: Yo-Yo

It is amazing to me how a government entity is so willing to waste money. But then again maybe its not a waste to them if it is going to a favorite donor.

If you were to read the restructuring policy notice (which is now buried on the NTIA website and maybe a bit of internal pushback?) you will find the high cost per house that was as high as 100K. When the service can be provided by satellite for a fraction of the cost.

The blue states and maybe others will push back by denying satellite service just because they have an agenda to support their colleagues and social networks (alias deep state) that are pushing fiber funding.

If appropriate technological balance is not achieved the lawsuits will come out projects will be delayed and the lawyers will get their share of the money.


9 posted on 07/30/2025 12:45:04 PM PDT by MagillaX
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