Stacey Burks Briggs

In addition to the thousands (>10k) of Starlink kits we are delivering in response to Hurricane Helene, the @Starlink team and @TMobile activated our Direct to Cell satellites to provide emergency alerts for all phones and carriers of those in affected areas. The @FCC has also rapidly approved emergency special temporary authority for coverage in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton. We have now enabled basic texting (SMS) for those on T-Mobile phones in hurricane affected areas. Text messages have already been sent and received. You can text loved ones, text 911 and continue to receive emergency alerts. If a phone connects to a Starlink satellite, it will have 1 to 2 bars of signal and show "T-Mobile SpaceX" in the network name. Users may have to manually retry text messages if they don't go through at first, as this is being delivered on a best-effort basis. The service works best outdoors, and occasionally works indoors near a window.

This week, I met with @TMobile executives and toured one of their offices in Richmond. We had a productive discussion about how we can increase internet access across the Commonwealth and better serve our veterans community.