The Cuba Independent School District in New Mexico is taking the unprecedented step of providing Starlink internet services for its students.
The school district started installations in November. The hope is to connect all 450 families by the end of the school year.
In a court decision in April, New Mexico education officials were ordered to provide high-speed internet access to the students in Cuba and in other areas.
The plan was to purchase 1,000 Starlink units and disperse them around the state, but education officials have not moved on their commitment and have provided no timeline, reports BG News.
Thus, the school district stepped in as their kids could not wait.
The issue for Cuba and the surrounding area is that traditional fibre optic cables are a challenge. The district is sparsely populated, and there is not a lot of money to pay for installation.
But one of the biggest hurdles is the red tape between tribal, state and federal agencies to approve the digging for underground cables.
Furthermore, Wi-Fi hotspots do not work as Cuba is far from the existing cell phone infrastructure.
The school district is spending $1.2 million on the investment. However, the investment will eventually run out, and the district hopes the state will ultimately come through and fund the monthly costs of the Starlink service.
