Starlink: Kits are found in illegal mining in the Amazon – 06/17/2023 – Tech

Eleven Starlink internet kits, owned by Elon Musk, were seized in illegal mining areas in the Yanomami Indigenous Land, according to the most recent survey by Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources).

Joint operations by Ibama and the Federal Highway Police in the Amazon rainforest have been carried out since the beginning of the year, with the objective of interrupting the supply lines of illegal mining, to make activity in the region unfeasible and to force the invaders to leave.

The total number of kits with antennas rose from 2 to 11, between February and May, according to a report by the municipality. The operation has also already seized weapons, ammunition cartridges, rafts, scales, chainsaws, helicopters and excavators, among other items.

“It should be clarified that the institute’s inspectors have been operating continuously in the region since February of this year, through the application of administrative penalties, provided for in Decree No. “, says the Ibama communication.

The decree provides for infractions to the environment and their respective administrative sanctions.

One of the commitments of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) since he returned to Planalto in January was the reversal of the emptying of environmental inspections that occurred during the Bolsonaro years. Authorities have once again cracked down on environmental violations in sensitive regions, such as the Yanomami Indigenous Land.

Ibama had also already told the press that it was studying, together with other federal agencies, how to block Starlink’s signal in illegal mining areas.

At the beginning of the year, an article in the newspaper Brasil de Fato had shown that WhatsApp groups of prospectors had advertisements for Starlink internet resale. One of the advertisements had antennas offered for prices ranging from R$7,800 to R$9,500, with monthly fees around R$1,500, well above official values.

Until the beginning of June, the equipment was advertised on the company’s website for R$ 1,000, at half the price; the monthly fee for residential internet was discounted by 20%, from R$230 to R$184.

The newspaper also claimed to have found Viasat advertisements. “In addition to the internet, various services are offered through WhatsApp and Facebook groups, from transportation in mining areas to the sale of mercury.”

The Associated Press news agency also spoke about the case in March, releasing a video about one of the operations in the Amazon.

Sought by email, SpaceX’s communications office in the United States had not yet responded until the publication of this report.

In a statement, Viasat said it provides its service on the understanding that it will only be used lawfully.

“Recently, the Ministry of Communications announced, in a joint action with Viasat and Telebras, the use of mobile satellite broadband connection antennas to bring internet to the Yanomami people, with the aim of supporting medical care for the population and emergency actions for tackling the public health situation.”

The company also reinforces that it has a consolidated operation and “a solid commitment to democratize high-speed internet access in all regions of Brazil”.

THERE IS NO CONTRACT WITH STARLINK, SAYS MINISTRY

Musk was one of the enthusiasts of former president Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) re-election attempt in 2022.

During a visit to Brazil last year, the businessman announced his intention to bring the internet to 19,000 schools, but so far, there is only one pilot project and Starlink has taken the equipment to a much smaller number of schools: three.

According to the Ministry of Communications at the time, the connection at the three schools was part of the initial phase of operations via low-orbit satellite. The equipment and service were donated to schools by the company.

In September last year, the then Minister of Communications, Fábio Faria, and the CEO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell, visited one of the contemplated units, the Antônio Ferreira Guedes state school, in the city of Careiro da Várzea (in the metropolitan region of Manaus, AM).

The other schools that received the equipment were Januário Santana and Nossa Senhora do Rosário, in Manacapuru (AM). The low orbit satellite operations would bring a faster internet connection to the respective schools.

In a note on Wednesday (14), the Ministry of Communications stated that there is no contract signed between the portfolio and Starlink/SpaceX. “In the previous management of the folder, on the initiative of the private company, a pilot project was carried out in the three schools of Amazonas, lasting 12 months.”