Michael Kan

SpaceX quietly revealed the plan to cap residential Starlink service by publishing a “Fair Use Policy” for the popular satellite internet service. The document says residential Starlink subscribers in the US will receive 1TB worth of “Priority Access” per month.

SpaceX sent the message to the Federal Communications Commission after Globalstar—which is powering the iPhone 14’s satellite connectivity—urged the FCC to reject SpaceX's request for access to the 1.6/2.4GHz spectrum, which it also uses for its own satellite services. SpaceX plans on using the radio bands to power a mobile version of its Starlink satellite internet service capable of beaming data to cellular dead zones.

SpaceX is aiming to expand its satellite internet service Starlink to school buses in the US. The company mentioned the effort in a September 20 filing with the Federal Communications Commission.

Amazon isn’t the only company opposed to SpaceX's second-gen Starlink proposal. Viasat, a rival satellite internet broadband provider, also filed a protest letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to dismiss SpaceX’s request.

Donald Trump’s muddled stance on hacking has disturbed security experts at time when the tech industry is looking for clarity on the US's cyber policy. Recently, the outspoken presidential candidate seemed to call on Russia to break into rival Hillary Clinton’s e-mail system. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing,” Trump said, referring to e-mails Clinton had deleted from a private e-mail server. The next day, he walked back his comment and said he was being sarcastic.

Some security experts are concerned that Trump is taking the matter so lightly when the country is trying to halt a rash of cyberattacks against it, not promote them. “Whether he was sarcastic or not, it was an open invitation to hack,” said Justin Harvey, CSO with Fidelis Cybersecurity. “And I guess I’m deeply disturbed by that posturing.”

China is attacking secret surveillance programs of the US government with harsh words from its state-controlled press, accusing Cisco of helping the US in cyber espionage.

China Youth Daily also published an editorial alleging that US networking gear supplier Cisco had aided the spying activities. While the company has helped build China's Internet infrastructure, Cisco also deliberately installed backdoor surveillance tools into its equipment, the editorial said.

The company "has played a disgraceful role, becoming a pillar to help spread the US' power over the Internet," it added. The editorial demanded that all Cisco equipment be checked for security threats and that China create an organization to inspect networking gear, especially imported products.