
Elon Musk has slammed the Biden-Harris administration for hindering rescue operations in the wake of Hurricane Helene, particularly in North Carolina. According to Musk, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Biden revoked a grant to Starlink, which could have improved communication in rural areas and potentially saved lives.
“Had the FCC not illegally revoked the SpaceX Starlink award, it would probably have saved lives in North Carolina,” Musk tweeted, calling the situation an example of how “lawfare costs lives.”
In 2020, the FCC, under the Trump administration, awarded Starlink an $885.5 million grant to expand broadband access to over 600,000 rural homes and businesses across 35 states, including nearly 20,000 in North Carolina. Many of the areas affected by Hurricane Helene would have benefited from this service. However, in 2022, the FCC, led by chair Jessica Rosenworcel, revoked the grant, citing concerns about Starlink’s ability to deliver robust services.
Musk and other critics, including FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, argue that the decision was politically motivated. Carr called the cancellation “without legal justification” and warned that it would leave rural Americans struggling with inadequate digital infrastructure.
As Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the South, the need for reliable communication became painfully evident. While the White House has since deployed Starlink devices to aid in recovery efforts, many are questioning why nearly 20,000 units that could have been in place beforehand weren’t available. Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, added her voice to the criticism, accusing the FCC of endangering lives by not approving a solution in time.
Kamala Harris, who was appointed as “Broadband Czar” in 2021, has faced further scrutiny over the failure of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. Despite the program’s $100 billion budget, it has yet to connect a single rural household to broadband, a reality critics say underscores the administration’s broader failure to address critical infrastructure needs in time.