Lula’s government plans to challenge the internet in areas that only Musk’s Starlink can meet

BRASILIA – The Ministry of Communications has launched a campaign to bring the Internet to public squares with the speed that only the satellite company Starlink, entrepreneur Elon Musk, has in Brazil. The limits required for 5 thousand points are higher than those set by the Ministry of Education for schools and by the director Camilo Santana decided to leave later Estadão indicating that only Starlink can meet the requirements.

When contacted, the Ministry of Communications did not comment. In the hearing of the Chamber, the director of the Department of Business and Innovation, Pedro Lucas da Cruz Pereira Araújo, said that the competition is at the stage of public consultation “business report available”. (Read more below)

The prices are not yet complete, but the lot will cost the least R$ 180 million a year for public coffers, according to the estimate made by the report based on the cost of the pilot of the Council of Costs for School Communication (Gape) conducted this year with private funds from the 5G Auction . The monthly fee with all access points is around R$ 3,000.

The tender is aimed at extending internet services to schools, currently provided by Telebras, and is at the public consultation stage. In addition to the opening of connection points in 23 thousand classrooms, Lula’s government has allocated a lot specifically to provide public areas with free internet.

For this batch, the Ministry has included the exclusion of national and international companies operating in the Brazilian satellite industry. The grievances were presented to the public in a public hearing opened by Minister Juscelino Filho’s documents. The Department of Communications received 72 services during the public consultation. Individuals and companies such as Telefônica, Claro, Sencinet, SES, Viasat and Hispamar Satélites have sent suggestions on various issues. The department refused 37 of the total.

The request process is given that the squares have at least 60 megabits per second (mbps) to download data (download) and 10 mbps to send data (upload). For comparison, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) points out that most satellite services have up to. 3 mbps upload speed and from 12 mpbs for download, not considered necessary for experienced users.

The president of the National Union of Satellite Telecommunications Companies (Sindisat), Fabio Alencar, said that only Starlink could meet this demand immediately. Others have to change technology and increase operating costs in a way that they say is impossible.

At the beginning of October, the director of the Department of Business and Innovation of the Ministry of Communications, Pedro Lucas da Cruz Pereira Araújo, asked about the possibility of favoring Musk in the competition this, during the public hearing of the Chamber. Federal Vice President Aureo Ribeiro (Solidariedade-RJ) asked Araújo about the structure for the various squares.

The director of the Ministry of Communications announced that the tender process is at the public consultation stage and the purpose is “to assess the feasibility of the service and the business report able, able to give”.

After the discussion, the department prepared a new document for contracting services, maintaining the restrictions that limit the business, despite the criticism.

The information that the Estadão Access was updated on October 6 and maintains a speed of 10 mbps for downloading and 60 mbps for downloading, in a group that intends to bring the internet to the squares. Another limitation that restricts business and is the target of complaints from companies recognized by the Ministry of Communications, such as conflict, which means how many people that the user can join on the internet.

The director of the Institute Technology & Society, Fabro Steibe, said that it is “useless” for the notice to “fix” more for the company. The director said that it is better to change the restrictions so that more candidates participate in the competition than to leave it to one company only.

“It makes more sense for the notice to agree to the competition, which is the goal, than to favor a company without sufficient arguments,” the director wrote leave. “By opening the competition, we better achieve the digital goal, which is not just the internet. The notice is there for you to find the best value for money.”

ITS is an independent, non-profit research organization that serves as a special advisor to the United Nations (UN). Professors and researchers from universities such as the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) and PUC-Rio are part of the organization.

O Estadão shows that the law of August MEC determined the minimum internet speed for public schools at 50 mbps, regardless of the number of students in any one. Today, Starlink is the only company operating in the Brazilian market to reach this level. After the report, the director Camilo Santana suspended the policy regarding “decisions on the technical curriculum”.

The new definition of high-speed internet by PT leaders signed open the Brazilian government business for Starlink.

In May of last year, president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) received Musk at a ceremony in the interior of São Paulo and took a photo with a handshake between the heads of state. Musk thinks of millions of potential people from large countries, such as Russia, China and India, who are currently not allowed to do his work. Only Brazil offers the entrepreneur a “red carpet”.

The state is also employing Musk’s technology. O Estadão announced that the Department of Justice and the Court of Amazonas are investigating the purchase of R$ 59 million in internet equipment from the government of Amazon for 1,600 schools in a year . As a unique competition, only Starlink can meet the demand.

The Director said that the tender is at the appeal stage and there is a “possibility” of disqualification of the company that won the tender. Businessman Ronaldo Tiradentes, who resold Starlink, said he was not aware of the investigation and that he offered the lowest price. Space X, the company that operates the Starlink satellite network, did not comment.