FCC Grants Starlink Hurricane STA; Florida Braces for Milton
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Friday and met communications providers and emergency response officials in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Relief efforts at the FCC and communications companies continue, even as Florida is preparing for a second storm. “I saw firsthand how the public sector and private sector are working together to help with recovery,” said Rosenworcel in a news release Monday. “We must use [Hurricane Helene] to understand ways we can make this infrastructure more resilient and more accessible in the future.”
Rosenworcel met with Buncombe County emergency officials and staff from the FCC’s Public Safety Bureau deployed to North Carolina, and visited satellite cell locations and a local library turned Wi-Fi hub, the release said. Rosenworcel has also spoken with CEOs of the largest wireless providers to discuss restoration efforts, it added. “When disaster strikes, the FCC will always have boots on the ground,” she said. Commissioner Brendan Carr also visited North Carolina to survey storm response last week.
The FCC granted emergency temporary authority to SpaceX and T-Mobile Sunday to allow Starlink satellites to provide cell coverage in Hurricane Helene-affected areas, according to a post from SpaceX on X Sunday. “The satellites have already been enabled and started broadcasting emergency alerts to cell phones on all networks in North Carolina,” said Space X. “In addition, we may test basic texting (SMS) capabilities for most cell phones on the T-Mobile network in North Carolina.” Space X CEO Elon Musk has been critical of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the storm, recent FCC decisions on Starlink and the restructuring of radio group Audacy. “We remain committed to helping with recovery efforts in states affected by Hurricane Helene, the FCC said in a post on X. “We stand ready to do all that is necessary to return connectivity to hard-hit areas and save lives.”
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praised Starlink in a post Sunday. "Many companies probably would have held off and waited," wrote Carr. "I thank them for choosing to do everything they can to improve communications. Every little bit helps right now."
The FCC’s most recent DIRS update for Helene-affected counties showed 4.7% of cellsites without service Sunday, an improvement over the 7.3% reported down Friday. Sunday’s update showed 332,701 cable and wireline subscribers without service, as compared with 342,375 in Friday’s update. DIRS reported five TV stations and 16 radio stations down in the affected area. The FCC had not activated DIRS for Hurricane Milton as of Monday afternoon, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in anticipation of Milton’s expected arrival on the state's west coast by Wednesday, said a news release from his office.