Shoshone residents get first look at 'Starlink' internet service

It's no secret that Shoshone County has been behind the curve when it comes to high-speed internet access. While the area is by far in the best position it has ever been in, with multiple providers literally competing for local customers, many are still left in the cold with either limited or no options.

Another new provider may be on the horizon though, one backed by the second richest man in the world.

Local technology guru and Kellogg School District Technology Coordinator, Simon Miller, made another appearance on the SNP NOW podcast last week and explained that he recently received and hooked up a beta version of Elon Musk's Starlink internet service.

Techterms.com defines Beta software as computer software that is undergoing testing and has not yet been officially released.

According to their website, Starlink is a division of SpaceX that is looking to provide a service that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet.

"…a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable."

Utilizing low-orbit, solar-powered satellites, Miller said that Starlink could be a game changer for people in the Silver Valley (and possibly across the world).

"My co-worker and I have been signed up for the beta forever," he said. "All of a sudden on Reddit, all these people from North Idaho, Eastern Washington, Western Montana, started getting betas."

At that point, Miller went on Reddit and stressed that Starlink would be incredibly useful to people of the Silver Valley due to its rural situation and the effect COVID has had on the schools. It wasn't long after making his comments that he received an email from Starlink, alerting him that he had been selected for the beta. By utilizing the Starlink app, he was able to determine whether or not his home was suitable for the service. In less than a week, Miller received all the equipment needed to install a dish on his home and started enjoying incredibly fast internet.

With only a few short outages to speak of, he reports having internet download speeds of 75 to 160 Mbps, upload speeds of 15 to 30 Mbps, and latency speeds of 25 to 50 ms.

The only thing more exciting than one Silver Valley resident being selected for a piece of cutting edge technology is multiple people getting selected. As of Monday, there are four confirmed Starlink customers in the Silver Valley.

Osburn resident Rusty Moffett is one of these four and is also seeing similar internet speeds.

"Our valley desperately needs something like this!" he said. "We have friends up French Gulch who are on pins and needles waiting for an invite email. They rely on a hotspot that barely gets service."

Satellite internet, which Miller explains can have some of the lowest and most unreliable internet connections, is sometimes the only option for Silver Valley residents in rural communities like Pinecreek or Prichard.

In a call Miller recently had with Starlink representative Bianca Reinhardt, she explained that Starlink is implementing its "better than nothing" beta with the goal of having 30-50 households using the service within a 12-mile "cell." Reinhardt was also very interested in the idea of Starlink being utilized to help with local schooling.

For more information about Starlink or to see if you qualify for the beta, visit www.starlink.com.

To hear the full SNP NOW interview with Simon Miller, where he talks about Starlink and his ranked list of Silver Valley internet providers, visit www.snpnow.buzzsprout.com.