Maryland Broadband Infrastructure grant awards 2023; why not just use StarLink and save millions?

Socialize the infrastructure, privatize the profits?

Col 3: Project Cost
Col 4: Grant Amt
Col 5: # of households & businesses to benefit

Let's analyze the last one for St. Mary's:

Total cost per customer: $21,205
Taxpayer portion of total cost per customer: $10,390

We do have Starlink these days. ~$500 initial equipment cost and ~$100/mo

Starlink

SpaceX is developing a low latency, broadband internet system to meet the needs of consumers across the globe. Enabled by a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Starlink will provide fast, reliable internet to populations with little or no connectivity, including those in rural...

www.starlink.com

For the same money, the taxpayer could have purchased each customer a system and paid their monthly cost for 98 Months, or 8.2 years.

Is my analysis in any way flawed?

Note: This project is managed through the Maryland Dept. of Housing and Community Development Office of Statewide Broadband Infrastructure.

Here is the original Press Release:

Governor Moore Announces Nearly $92 Million Awarded to Expand Broadband Access​

Funding for Infrastructure will Connect About 14,500 Unserved and Underserved Households and Businesses across Maryland​

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 5, 2023) – Governor Wes Moore today announced that Maryland is awarding nearly $92 million to expand high-speed internet access to an estimated 14,500 households and businesses across the state through Connect Maryland, an initiative to close the digital divide through the Office of Statewide Broadband. The Connect Maryland Network Infrastructure Grant Program made 35 awards to Internet Service Providers and local jurisdictions to construct new broadband networks to service unserved households.

“Internet access is essential for Marylanders to have a pathway to receive critical information, be involved with their communities and participate in the local economy,” said Gov. Wes Moore. “These awards help ensure that the infrastructure exists to make Maryland more equitable.”

Leveraging the state’s funding, these projects invest more than $143 million to connect communities as remote as homes in the mountains of western Washington County to areas in more densely populated jurisdictions in the state, including Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.

To see the full list of awards, go to dhcd.maryland.gov/Documents/PressReleases/MD-Broadband-Infrastructure-Awards-2023.pdf.

The Office of Statewide Broadband is housed in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Through its programs to expand infrastructure and increase digital equity, the office works to ensure that all Maryland households have access to broadband. Since the office was created in 2017, it has invested more than $270 million into broadband infrastructure and programs. Those efforts provide high-speed internet access to an estimated 52,000 previously unserved homes and businesses statewide.

“Broadband is the utility that will determine economic outcomes in much the same way water and sewer systems have been for the past 150 years,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “Full participation in the digital economy is essential for resolving inequities for countless Marylanders and the Office of Statewide Broadband is committed to closing the digital divide.”

In 2022, the Office of Statewide Broadband received federal planning grants for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program and the Digital Equity Act program. The funding will be used to develop a framework for identifying unserved and underserved broadband regions throughout the state, and provide resources to increase access to technology and education.

For more information about the Office of Statewide Broadband, visit: https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Broadband/.​

 

[glhs837]

Cant control the grift when its simple purchase of equipment.

 

[Grumpy]

Isn't Starlink not ready for prime time, yet?

 

[OccamsRazor]

A good place to start might be why is it costing Calvert Verizon residents only $8,927 per customer and why is their tax burden only $3,819?

 

[Sneakers]

Starlink is fraught with problems right now. They've oversold and overloaded the system to the point where coastal users are having their dishes re-pointed over the ocean (both coasts) to relief the congestion. Increased latency and slower speeds. When I first got mine, download speeds were in excess of 300mb/s, now hover around 120. Upload speeds between 25-35.

They recently imposed data limit caps on high usage users, throttling the data back. There was so much kick-back they just announced they will no longer cap the data.

They have about 4000 sats in orbit. Their goal is 40,000, but that is a long way off.

Recently got approval from the FCC to increase the duty cycle from less than 10% to 17.5%. This will decrease latency and improve speed, but does nothing to relieve congestion.

Lots of short outages, .5 - 2 seconds is normal, cause a re-training of the data stream which makes everything pause. Recently forgot to renew a license for something, forgot what.... but it took the entire network down for hours. Also another 45 minute outage just last Friday, suspicion is everyone got a new firmware load at the same time to support the new FCC duty cycle.

Not ready for prime time. And now Amazon is talking about a similar system.

 

[Sneakers]

Oh yeah... another tidbit. due to congestion in the local area, my DNS server is now in New York. There is a major Starlink DNS/network hub in Ashburn, VA, near DC, but it's too overloaded. As a result, I get increased latency and ping times, and since targeted marketing uses your "location" to push ads, I get nothing but NY/NJ/CT ads for services and businesses in my streaming content.

There is a YouTuber who is very up on all of this, provides helpful tips and info. He is in southern Florida and his PoP is in Georgia. Same issues.

He has 146 vids on Starlink in this playlist.

 

[Ken King]

Just got this email today -

Starlink is now offering new service plans for both fixed and mobile users! New Priority Plans Starlink Priority plans are best for businesses and other high demand users at one location. Now starting at $250/mo, these plans include faster download and upload speeds, including during times of peak usage, priority customer support, and a public IP address. After Priority data is exhausted, the plans include unlimited Standard data. Order now at starlink.com/business. New Mobile Priority Plans Starlink Mobile Priority plans provide high-speed internet while in motion around the world, whether on land or the ocean. Plans start at $250/mo for 50 GB of Mobile Priority data, which enables our fastest network speeds. After using all Mobile Priority data, the plan includes unlimited Standard data on land. Order now at either starlink.com/mobility or starlink.com/maritime. Note: Use of Starlink in motion, on land, and in territorial waters around the world is subject to local government approval. See our FAQs for more details.

 

[Sneakers]

Notice the two prices under the 'standard' rate. From what I've seen/read, the number of people who qualify for the $90 is minuscule, like in the middle of the mid-west in the middle of the desert.

 

[Editor]

On the other hand.... as a tax payer.... would you rather give someone a $600 dish or $10,000 and Verizon gets all the monthly revenue.

As far as current performance issues, beggars can't be choosers. I imagine these people now rely on slow ADSL?

But seriously, good to hash out the available options. SpaceX just put another rocket full of StarLink sats again yesterday.



Go StarLink, Go Falcon!

 

[DaSDGuy]

Basic answer to the OP - StarLink doesn't work yet. Then again, a lot of their target audience doesn't work either.

 

[glhs837]

Ah, found the problem.....

Basic answer to the OP - StarLink doesn't work yet. Then again, a lot of their target audience doesn't work either.

I think they just passed over a million customers, most happy as clams. I mean yeah, 125mbps and bad, but if you are coming from most remote places that's pretty damn good. Trains, ships, RVs. My son's gaming group has a couple of guys working remote oilfields in Canada. Raiding WOW with no issues.

The thing to remember is this was never meant to serve people who have cable or fiber.

 

[Sneakers]

On the other hand.... as a tax payer.... would you rather give someone a $600 dish or $10,000 and Verizon gets all the monthly revenue.

As far as current performance issues, beggars can't be choosers. I imagine these people now rely on slow ADSL?

But seriously, good to hash out the available options. SpaceX just put another rocket full of StarLink sats again yesterday.

I guess my point was that if they are overloaded now, adding many new customers in a small service area would just make congestion worse in that area. Once they get the growing pains behind them and get additional sats in orbit, your concept would be valid.

I was one of those DSL users who couldn't wait for the day that my Starlink was delivered. Overall, I'm happy not be dealing with 1Mb/s DSL, but a bit miffed they aren't delivering on their promises of speed and reliability, and paying ever increasing and premium prices. Again, growing pains.

One other thing that I happened to think about... 40,000 satellites in low orbit. And Amazon thinking the same. Timing and dodging of space launches might get a bit tricky to avoid running into one.

 

[stgislander]

Well considering all of Starlink's satellites were going to support Ukraine for a while, Elon's fallen a little behind.

 

[vraiblonde]

Is my analysis in any way flawed?

Yes. You didn't account for slimy politicians and their cronies getting greased. Not to mention the "contractors" who kick part of that money back to the politician who gave them the job. *cough* Larry Hogan *cough*

 

[Grumpy]

One other thing that I happened to think about... 40,000 satellites in low orbit. And Amazon thinking the same. Timing and dodging of space launches might get a bit tricky to avoid running into one.

Not to mention an EMP taking us back to the dark ages.

 

[glhs837]

I guess my point was that if they are overloaded now, adding many new customers in a small service area would just make congestion worse in that area. Once they get the growing pains behind them and get additional sats in orbit, your concept would be valid.

I was one of those DSL users who couldn't wait for the day that my Starlink was delivered. Overall, I'm happy not be dealing with 1Mb/s DSL, but a bit miffed they aren't delivering on their promises of speed and reliability, and paying ever increasing and premium prices. Again, growing pains.

One other thing that I happened to think about... 40,000 satellites in low orbit. And Amazon thinking the same. Timing and dodging of space launches might get a bit tricky to avoid running into one.

The animations make it looks worse than it is. I really dont think Amazon stands a chance of pulling it off. Hell, they wont have decent launch capacity for what? 5-8 years? Given active management of the constellation, there shouldn't be an issue.

 

[TPD]

My daughter was a recipient of Covid grant money to get cable Internet at the farm. Breeze line had originally quoted her about $8000 to run the line about 3/4 of a mile off of the main road. Daddy was not willing to spend that much money for her to have cable Internet. But I was looking at star link and was going to spend the money for that Equipment. Now I don’t have to.

I don’t agree with government money going to these utility companies to run the last mile but as more and more government agencies want you to do everything online and schools are going virtual then I guess we have to demand Government pay for this