The Biden administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is now relying on Elon Musk’s Starlink to restore internet access after Hurricane Helene, despite previously rejecting the company’s bid for a major contract.
In hopes to relieve residents throughout the various states, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the agency will be “moving in” Starlink satellites to help “the lack of communication” areas like Asheville, North Carolina, are facing. While the Biden administration has previously relied on Starlink’s help, a nearly $900 million award was rejected in 2023 due to alleged political motivations.
“This is really, Robert, historic flooding up in North Carolina and especially this western part of North Carolina. I don’t know that anybody could be fully prepared for the amount of flooding and landslides that they are experiencing right now. We have had teams in there for several days. We’re sending more search and rescue teams in there,” Criswell said.
“Water is a big concern right now as well and so we have sent bottled water in, but we also have the Army Corps of Engineers that’s getting ready to start assessments today to see what we can do to help get those water systems back online quickly,” Criswell continued. “And we’re also moving in satellite communications, Starlink satellites, into the area to help facilitate the lack of communication that that part of the state is experiencing.”
In December 2023, the Biden administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rescinded an $885 million award that would have allowed Starlink to provide fast broadband to over 640,000 homes and businesses in rural areas. The billionaire’s internet provider had been expected to participate in the administration’s $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, aimed at expanding fast internet access, particularly in rural areas.
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While it’s unclear if Starlink will still participate in the BEAD program, SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said during an August conference that the company is working with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to determine its role and is “very interested in participating.”
The Category 4 hurricane hit Florida Thursday and made its way to Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, killing at least 120 people nationwide as of Sunday, according to the New York Post.
North Carolina was hit hard by the hurricane over the weekend, flooding Asheville and pounding the mountains in Buncombe County with heavy rainfall, according to the New York Post. The disaster has left at least 35 dead, with Criswell warning that many health care systems have been “impacted” by the storm.
“We know that many health care systems have been impacted, so we also have health care assessment teams that are assessing the hospitals and the ability to support the people that are experiencing impacts from this storm. There are multiple boil water notices across all five states and so that’s why we’re bringing in teams to help assess those water systems to get them back online as quickly as we can. But we’re also, again, bringing in the commodities,” Criswell said.
The FCC and White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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