Stranded shrimp boats are seen in a marina after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, U.S., September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk agreed to provide the company's satellite internet service, Starlink, for help in response to Hurricane Ian in areas of Southwest Florida still without connectivity.
"We are working with Elon Musk and Starlink satellite. They are positioning those Starlink satellites to provide good coverage in Southwest Florida and other affected areas," DeSantis told reporters on Saturday. "We are expecting 120 additional large Starlink units to deploy to Southwest Florida."
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Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
ShoreIsFun on October 1st, 2022 at 22:04 UTC »
The National Guard is already using satellites for communication is Florida…are these for private citizens then?
GenXUser on October 1st, 2022 at 21:06 UTC »
I'm watching the massive fight in Ft Myers where the MAGA sheriff pushed for years against levee improvements and this morning the levee failed and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed days after the hurricane.
medfreak on October 1st, 2022 at 20:18 UTC »
I don't get it. Are they going to send starlink recievers to homes? What do you mean point satellites at Florida? Aren't they supposed to be covering them anyway?
What are 120 large units? If they get the units are they going to connect the damaged areas with cable?
So many questions. Seems like a publicity stunt to me.