Starlink, the Elon Musk’s Satellite Internet Service, is now accessible throughout the White House campus. It has been the last installation of the Wi-Fi network throughout the government since Mr Musk joined Trump’s administration as an unpaid advisor.
It was not immediately clear when the White House complex was equipped with Starlink after President Trump took over for a second term.
Starlink terminals, rectangular panels receiving internet signals that are radiated from SpaceX satellite on low -earth trajectory, can be placed in natural structures. But instead of naturally located in the White House, the Starlink system is now said that it is launched through a White House data center, with existing fiber cables, miles from the complex.
White house officials said the facility was an attempt to increase the availability of the internet in the band. They said that some areas of the property could not receive a cell service and that the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure was excessive.
Karoline Leavitt, White House Secretary, said the attempt was “to improve Wi-Fi connectivity to the band”.
But the circumstances are different from any previous situation to resolve the internet services. Mr Musk, who is now an unpaid adviser working as a “special government official” at the White House, controls Starlink and other companies that have regulatory issues before or contributing to the federal government. Questions about his business interests who are in conflict with his situation as a presidential adviser and the great donor Trump have insisted for weeks.
In February, Chris Stanley, who currently works as a security engineer in two of Mr Musk’s companies, SpaceX and the X social media platform, went to the roof of the Eisenhower Executive Office building to the White House complex to explore the Starlink installation there. Mr Stanley also works with the efficiency of Mr Musk’s government as a special government official.
As Mr Stanley opened a door leading to the roof of the building, just opposite the entrance of the White House, he pushed an alarm that warned the secret service for his presence. He created a dramatic scene as a uniform officer rushed to respond, according to four people with knowledge of the incident.
A fifth person with knowledge of the event said Mr Stanley said earlier than the secret service that he could control the roof, but the organization had not coordinated time for Mr Stanley’s arrival.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said the White House “was aware of Doge’s intentions to improve internet access to the campus” and that “he did not consider this issue a security incident or a security breach”.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, also said he was not considered a violation or a security incident.
White house officials said Starlink had “donated” the service and that the gift had been checked by a lawyer who oversees ethics issues at the White House office.
Some former officials were unclear about how such a donation could work.
Clare Martorana, a former head of information in the White House during Biden’s administration, said that people usually can’t simply give technology to the government. He said the White House header would need to sign a new system to ensure that it was properly secured, as was the head of the General Services Administration.
Mr Stanley worked to create the new Starlink system in consultation with the White House IT office, which is also a consultant, and also reported to work at the Ministry of Justice, one of the people familiar with the subject.
The White House is the latest government property that Starlink now operates.
In recent weeks, Starlink has also been created in the administration of the General Services, which served as a hub for Mr Musk’s government efforts, according to documents and people familiar with the service.
While several federal organizations contribute to Starlink, satellite service is usually used to provide internet access to emergencies and remote locations – not in federal buildings in Washington, which already have plenty of internet options.
Starlink is generally regarded as a reliable network. In October, the Federal Emergency Management Organization arrested with Starlink to distribute terminals for the service throughout North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene hit the state. The service was also vital to Ukraine’s defenses against Russia, with Spacex estimating in the Department of Defense that it costs $ 400 million to support the effort in 12 months around 2022.
However, it is less clear that the Internet Starlink service will significantly extend the wireless capacity of the internet to buildings where fiber cables are already accessing.
It was also not clear whether Starlink communications were encrypted. At least, the system allows a network separate from existing White House servers that people on the ground are able to use, maintaining this data separately.
“It is extremely rare” to install Starlink or another internet provider as a replacement for the existing government infrastructure that has been tested and secured, said Jake Williams, Vice -President for Research and Development at Hunter Strategy, a cyberspace consulting. “I can’t think of a time when I’ve heard of it.”
“Introduces another point of attack,” Mr. Williams said. “But why should we introduce this danger?”
An employee knowing the discussions about the Starlink installation in the White House, who had not been authorized to speak publicly, said the secret service was concerned that the Starlink system could be channeled through existing safe hard wiring services and other services used by the White House. The fact that the internet service now operates through a different data hub seems to have faced this concern.
In the management of General Services, where the use of Starlink was mentioned earlier than NBC News, the service has been added to a list of applications approved for receiving on mobile devices. This list also includes applications of two other companies led by Musk, X and Tesla, according to documents seen by the New York Times.
“Only applications that meet GSA’s security and privacy standards are allowed,” a representative of the service said in a statement. The organization refused to comment on the use of Starlink.
Mr Musk expressed his disappointment for what he sees as outdated technology in the government and broke ahead with an attempt to modernize him.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Trump swore, Mr Musk complained that a digital system known as Waves, which allows the secret service to approve visitors to enter the White House, was clunky. Some White House officials shared this evaluation. Mr Musk commissioned Mr Stanley to correct him, according to two people informed of the matter.
Mr Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the organization “works closely with Mr Musk’s team and continues discussions. At the moment, he added: “No official changes have been made to the White House visitors system.”
Jonathan swan and Telecommunicator They contributed reports.
