Customs and Border Protection using Elon Musk’s Starlink for officer communications
Customs and Border Protection has deployed Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service so that officers working in remote border locations can send certain data when other communications systems aren’t available.
The program, which is called the Seamless Integrated Communications program, is meant to streamline a series of communications technologies, including Starlink. But in the midst of cost-saving measures, two satellite locations used for backhaul data communications are being replaced with ground-based connectivity in fiscal 2025, a CBP spokesperson told FedScoop on Wednesday.
A privacy threshold analysis released by CBP this month details aspects of the SIC program. The context in which CBP agents might rely on this tool — which is supposed to provide “enhanced situational awareness” and continuous communications — is redacted from the PTA. But the document states that Starlink is supposed to be used as a backhaul method and facility network enhancement when fiberoptic systems aren’t sufficient. Increased data flow, the document states, will help the agency stop illicit activity.
“The purpose of Seamless Integrated Communications (SIC) is to provide a mesh network of both fixed locations and mobile devices in harsh and remote border environments where CBP experiences limited to no cellular service. SIC enables limited point-to-point or multi-hop data communications,” a CBP spokesperson told FedScoop. The system isn’t a cell phone signal booster and doesn’t support voice capabilities, they said, but is meant to support data sharing across commercial cellular, satellite, and direct network connections.
“Satellite connectivity for backhaul is employed on a case-by-case basis, based on the operational environment, when no other persistent or cost-effective means to perform backhaul is available. In two limited cases, Starlink is used for satellite backhaul,” the spokesperson said. “SIC will transition these satellite locations to ground based connectivity in FY 2025 due to cost savings.”
The original privacy threshold analysis was published on a CBP site after FedScoop reported on its existence and subsequently asked for the document to be made public.
The revelation of CBP’s use of Starlink comes at a time when Musk, the world’s richest man, has wielded massive influence over the U.S. government as his Department of Government Efficiency slashes the federal workforce.
Musk’s business interests with the federal government have come into greater focus since his immersion into the Trump administration. NASA and the Defense Department spend heavily contracting with Musk’s SpaceX for satellite launches, while some federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, are also using the company’s satellite constellation internet service.
Other documents highlighted by FedScoop, meanwhile, indicate that CBP appeared at one point to be exploring the use of Starlink as part of its autonomous surveillance tower program. It’s not clear where that work currently stands.
The SIC program was first developed in April 2020 and was scheduled to end in April 2024, but a spokesperson told FedScoop last month that work with Starlink had been extended until at least next month and could be extended further.
Federal spending records show that CBP has made other purchases related to Starlink.
