Nearly a billion dollars in rural broadband subsidies wouldn't go amiss The Chairman of the US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, James Comer, is investigating the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) decision to revoke an award of almost $900 million in rural broadband subsidies to Elon Musk's Starlink.

T-Mobile US and Starlink received permission from the FCC to make D2C connectivity available in areas of North Carolina hard-hit by Helene.

Direct-to-device (D2D) services from Starlink will be available in the parts of North Carolina most badly affected by Hurricane Helene.

In August 2022, T-Mobile and Starlink announced an effort to eliminate dead zones in cellular coverage with the first direct-to-cell service using parts of T-Mobile’s mid-band PCS spectrum. SpaceX launched its first batch of second-generation Starlink satellites that can send cellular signals from space to smartphones in January 2024.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Sunday allowed Elon Musk's SpaceX and T Mobile to enable Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide coverage for cellphones in areas of North Carolina hard-hit by Hurricane Helene.

SpaceX's Starlink service and T-Mobile have been granted temporary emergency capabilities to give those affected by the storm access to mobile coverage via satellites.

The Federal Communications Commission gave Starlink and T-Mobile emergency authority to provide satellite-to-phone coverage in areas hit by Hurricane Helene. "SpaceX and T-Mobile have been given emergency special temporary authority by the FCC to enable Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide coverage for cell phones in the affected areas of Hurricane Helene,

Elon Musk’s space-based internet satellites got special permission to act as cell phone towers in the sky, connecting people in blacked-out areas of North Carolina as they begin post-storm recovery efforts.

Starlink's direct-to-cell satellite service for emergency alerts goes online in North Carolina as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton this week.

The FCC has granted a temporary clearance for Starlink’s direct-to-cell service, which could include testing text via satellite for T-Mobile customers in North Carolina.