SpaceX Responds to Viasat Over Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Concerns

SpaceX filed a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on July 29 in response to Viasat's previous claims that the company is unable to fulfill the requirements of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) award. According to SpaceX, Viasat is trying to protect its legacy technology through influence the FCC to limit competition. The company also said that recent data from Ookla shows Starlink is able to provide the speeds necessary for RDOF funding, which exceed Viasat's performance. Additionally, SpaceX states that Viasat is ignoring that the FCC specifically directed the agency staff – not competitors – to review the merits of RDOF applications. "Starlink has
welcomed that staff review and has fully engaged within that Commission-mandated process to demonstrate its ability to meet all of its RDOF obligations and provide high-quality broadband service to consumers that for too long have gone unserved," said the letter.