{"id":131884,"date":"2024-11-30T20:44:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T13:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131884"},"modified":"2024-11-30T20:44:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T13:44:03","slug":"musk-could-use-the-department-of-government-efficiency-for-self-enrichment-elon-musk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131884","title":{"rendered":"Musk could use the \u2018Department of Government Efficiency\u2019 for self-enrichment | Elon Musk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/elon-musk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Elon Musk<\/a>, named by Donald Trump to co-lead a commission aimed at reducing the size of the federal government, is poised to undermine funding for rural broadband services to benefit his satellite internet services company, Starlink.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Musk has long been a critic of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/biden-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Biden administration<\/a>\u2019s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (Bead) Program, which provides $42.45bn through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/mar\/17\/rural-broadband-us-internet-providers\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">expand<\/a> high-speed internet access in rural communities. Starlink, the satellite internet services subsidiary of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/spacex\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">SpaceX<\/a>, has largely been shut out of this funding after government agencies deemed it too slow to qualify.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">But with Trump\u2019s election, and the deference Trump appears poised to give to Musk\u2019s desired reforms, the world\u2019s richest man could re-prioritize how the federal government provides high-speed internet to rural America, creating an immense conflict of interest. If Musk recommends cuts to government spending on rural fiber optic broadband \u2013 as he has repeatedly suggested \u2013 it directly increases the value of Starlink\u2019s satellite internet services.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f3ce2f95-da6e-418a-b740-f11dfe1c5c2e\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:3,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Project 2025: the Trump picks with ties to ultra-rightwing policy manifesto&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;f3ce2f95-da6e-418a-b740-f11dfe1c5c2e&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/nov\/22\/project-2025-trump-picks&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:0,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWe have never had a situation where the leading shareholder of a communications company has both a position \u2013 both in terms of influencing the president, but also having an assignment to drive efficiency in government \u2013 with so many government contracts,\u201d said Blair Levin, a telecommunications industry analyst with New Street Research and the Brookings Institution. \u201cThat is an extraordinary situation. That is unprecedented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Levin suggested that Trump could order Bead funding to be withheld indefinitely as soon as he takes office, even though Congress has authorized the funding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Doing so would violate the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, a law Trump fell afoul of in his first term that ultimately resulted in one impeachment. But Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-lead the commission to reduce the size of the federal government, argued in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/musk-and-ramaswamy-the-doge-plan-to-reform-government-supreme-court-guidance-end-executive-power-grab-fa51c020?mod=trending_now_opn_3\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Wall Street Journal editorial<\/a> last week that Trump should pursue impoundment when he deems it necessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cMr Trump has previously suggested this statute is unconstitutional, and we believe the current supreme court would likely side with him on this question,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Any move like this would tie the program in legal knots as lawsuits abound, Levin said. But the delay is the point. \u201cWhile states and others could file legal actions to stop such a pause, we think most courts would be reluctant to enjoin or otherwise stop the administration from reconsidering some elements of the program. Even actions of dubious legality can benefit Starlink through delay or through litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Musk had set his sights on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) long before Trump\u2019s victory. The NTIA administers federal grant funding for the Bead program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Without a government subsidy, rolling fiber optic lines down country roads to serve a handful of houses at a time is usually too cost-prohibitive for an internet service provider. But to companies like AT&amp;T or Verizon, a government subsidy to a local internet service provider also looks like the government funding the competition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Big telecom companies and the FCC argued long and loud about what parts of the country had access to high-speed service, and thus didn\u2019t need government money. But the definition of \u201chigh speed\u201d used by industry and the government was often slow by many standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">After years of negotiation, lawsuits and politicking, the FCC and the NTIA settled on a modern definition for broadband service: 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download speeds, 20Mbps upload speeds, with less than 100 milliseconds of latency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Right now, Starlink <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ookla.com\/articles\/us-satellite-performance-q3-2023\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">doesn\u2019t meet that standard<\/a>. It has been getting slightly slower over time even as more people sign up for service, according to internet performance testing service Ookla\u2019s speed tests. In 2022, the FCC rescinded a $900m grant from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to Starlink to connect rural communities to the internet, <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/FCC-23-105A1_Rcd.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">citing<\/a> its failure to meet the speed and latency standards and declining network performance.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"03b31041-0e13-413f-892a-c28d4d7286a0\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched, carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in May 2024.<\/span> Photograph: Joe Skipper\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1734715088529953103\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">erupted<\/a> on an X post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cStarlink is the only company actually solving rural broadband at scale! They should arguably dissolve the program and return funds to taxpayers, but definitely not send it those who aren\u2019t getting the job done,\u201d Musk wrote. \u201dWhat actually happened is that the companies that lobbied for this massive earmark (not us) thought they would win, but instead were outperformed by Starlink, so now they\u2019re changing the rules to prevent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/science\/spacex\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">SpaceX<\/a> from competing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">In June, Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1803453396382580982\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">described<\/a> the Bead program, which began rolling out grants to states this year, as \u201can outrageous waste of taxpayer money and is utterly failing to serve people in need\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">A month later, Musk <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1812256998588662068?lang=en\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">endorsed<\/a> Trump and began a $100m spending campaign in support of his candidacy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">After Musk started to gain Trump\u2019s ear \u2013 and particularly after Musk\u2019s endorsement and Starlink\u2019s deployment of satellite terminals to areas hit by Hurricane Helene, which Trump praised regularly on the campaign trail \u2013 Trump\u2019s language about rural broadband began to shift in Musk\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Trump described Starlink as \u201cbetter than the wires\u201d, when talking with Joe Rogan in the much-watched podcast interview. \u201cWe\u2019re spending a trillion dollars to get cables all over the country, right, up to upstate areas where you have like two farms \u2026 They haven\u2019t hooked up one person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Over the last year, the FCC commissioner \u2013 and Trump\u2019s newly named FCC chair \u2013 Brendan Carr has also echoed Musk\u2019s position, arguing that the public might be better off by subsidizing the cost of Starlink terminals instead of fiber optic broadband.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">After Trump\u2019s election, Carr said the FCC is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/space\/incoming-fcc-chair-says-unlikely-commission-could-reinstate-starlink-subsidy-2024-11-21\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">unlikely to revisit<\/a> its rescission of Starlink\u2019s grant, citing procedural hurdles. But Carr, who <a href=\"https:\/\/static.project2025.org\/2025_MandateForLeadership_CHAPTER-28.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">authored the FCC chapter of Project 2025<\/a>, has suggested that as much as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/10\/18\/elon-musk-brendan-carr-fcc-starlink-00184260\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">third of Bead funding<\/a> could go to satellite internet providers.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-24\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"newsletter promotion\" class=\"dcr-av5vqf\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1xjndtj\">Big thinkers on what we can do to protect civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in a Trump presidency. From our opinion desk.<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"SecureSignup\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;newsletterId&quot;:&quot;fighting-back&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;Big thinkers on what we can do to protect civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in a Trump presidency. From our opinion desk.&quot;}\"\/><span class=\"dcr-1eusqlu\"><strong>Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/help\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms\" rel=\"noreferrer\" class=\"dcr-1rjy2q9\">Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/span><\/aside>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-24\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-jzxpee\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Republican senators have also been agitating for changes to the Bead program. Senator Ted Cruz, poised to take over the Senate committee overseeing telecommunications, sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.senate.gov\/services\/files\/C32B6A16-3088-437E-A227-6F72650A081C\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">letter<\/a> last week lambasting the NTIA administrator, Alan Davidson, for alleged waste and administrative bloat in the Bead program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cFortunately, as president-elect Trump has already signaled, substantial changes are on the horizon for this program,\u201d Cruz wrote. \u201cCongress will review the Bead program early next year, with specific attention to NTIA\u2019s extreme technology bias in defining \u2018priority broadband projects\u2019 and \u2018reliable broadband service\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa sent Musk and Ramaswamy a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ernst.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/doge_trillion_dollar_blue_print_letter_-_elon_vivek.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">letter<\/a> on Tuesday with a roadmap for cost-cutting. The Bead program was on her target list.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Davidson responded to earlier inquiries by Cruz, noting that the NTIA \u201chas obligated over $28bn to states and territories, all of whom also received planning grants through the program\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The program \u201calso creates room for all strategies, and the NTIA expects states and territories will use a mix of technologies to connect their unserved and underserved locations\u201d, Davidson wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The NTIA announced earlier this year that Starlink could qualify for some Bead funding for services in extremely remote locations. In areas without broadband service from a landline operator, Starlink is often the only option. Project Kuiper by Amazon is also a low-Earth-orbit satellite internet service, which Amazon says will begin consumer offerings next year.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">SpaceX and its Starlink subsidiary are private companies that do not regularly disclose their finances. But analysts have argued that, until recently, Starlink had been losing money despite the success of SpaceX.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">That has changed over the last year as Starlink\u2019s 6,000-plus low-Earth satellite network has come online and courted business in developing countries. Analysts from Quilty, a space industry intelligence firm, suggest that Starlink\u2019s revenue has exploded, from $1.4bn in 2022 to $6.6bn in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">SpaceX and Tesla have about $15.4bn in government contracts, according to a recent New York Times analysis. Starlink is also competing with 15 other companies for US space force contracts worth nearly $1bn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Starlink did not respond to a request for comment for this story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Despite the obvious interest in government contracts, Musk and biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Ramaswamy\u2019s \u201cDepartment of Government Efficiency\u201d will be tasked with reducing the federal government headcount and cutting costs, which could include the Bead program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cStarlink and Bead are seeking to provide broadband to the same population: those living in low-density America,\u201d Levin said. \u201cWhile Starlink already has a network that covers the entire country, spectrum constraints and its relative functionalities compared to wired broadband service providers mean that the primary market for Starlink is in low-density America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Starlink benefits from any delay in Bead funding, Levin said. \u201cEvery day Starlink is signing up customers in low-density America. Today, those in unserved and underserved locations likely believe that if they want a baseline broadband service, they have no choice but to subscribe to the Starlink service. The longer it takes for an alternative provider to come online with a similar or better service, the better it is for Starlink, as its sales process benefits from the current lack of broadband alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Reallocating funding from fiber to satellite would put money in Starlink\u2019s pocket at the direct expense of terrestrial competitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWhile there are other technology options for high-speed connectivity, the most reliable, efficient and future-proof solution is fiber optic technology to the home or business,\u201d said Tom Dailey, head of regulatory and government affairs at Brightspeed, an internet service provider competing for Bead funds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cSatellite broadband is a costly option that does not provide the same level of reliability or speed that fiber optic technology provides \u2026 We don\u2019t anticipate that the Bead program will be eliminated. In fact, we believe it will continue and there is strong bias for fiber technology as the main means of connectivity given its superior speed and bandwidth capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2024\/nov\/30\/elon-musk-government-efficiency-self-enrichment\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elon Musk, named by Donald Trump to co-lead a commission aimed at reducing the size of the federal government, is poised to undermine funding for rural broadband services to benefit &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=131884\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=131884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131884\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=131884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=131884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=131884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}