Here's Where Americans Are Using Starlink's Satellite Internet Service

Starlink is currently in a semi-public beta, serving more than 10,000 users at speeds up to 170 Mbps, with no data caps. Ookla located US counties with at least 30 Starlink samples since December, and charted Starlink's speeds county by county against all other fixed internet providers. Starlink will make the biggest difference in rural, low-density, low-population counties with few options other than lower-quality satellite services. But there are a perplexing number of Starlink beta-testers signing up for the service in urban and suburban counties with potentially better options, like Chicago (Cook County), Seattle (King County), and Minneapolis (Hennepin County). The concern there is the limited capacity of Starlink's satellite constellation. The company asked for clearance to serve up to 5 million US customers, but a recent survey said up to 65 million households may want the service. If urban and suburban users take up those slots, there may be none left for the rural users who really need it.