Elon Musk's SpaceX Gets FCC Nod For Starlink Internet On Cars, Boats And Planes

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk-led SpaceX has been granted authorization by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use its constellation of satellites to connect moving vehicles such as cars, boats, and planes to the internet.

What Happened: The FCC on Thursday granted SpaceX’s request to allow Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM) Starlink terminals to its satellites.

The FCC also approved a request by another company, Kepler Communications, to offer similar services.

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Why It Matters: This month, SpaceX Vice President Jonathan Hofeller revealed that the company was in “talks with several of the airlines” over providing WiFi services on board planes.

The SpaceX and Kepler requests were opposed by Dish Network Corp DISH, which argued that roving earth stations in the 12GHz band “would substantially increase the chance of interference with DBS antennas.”

The FCC denied Dish's petition to prevent the companies from using the 12GHz band.

“We agree with SpaceX and Kepler that the public interest would benefit by granting with conditions their applications,” said the FCC in its authorization document.

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