Starlink, the satellite internet service managed by Spacex by Elon Musk, is now accessible throughout the White House campus. It is the last installation of the Wi-Fi network throughout the government since Musk has joined the Trump administration as unpaid consultant.
It was not immediately clear when the White House complex was equipped with Starlink after President Trump came in office for a second term.
Starlink terminals, rectangular panels that receive internet signals transmitted by Spacex satellites in low -earth orbit, can be positioned on physical structures. But instead of being physically placed in the White House, the Starlink system is said to be now directed through a Data Center of the White House, with existing fiber cables, with miles from the complex.
The officials of the White House said that the installation was an effort to increase the availability of the internet overall. They said that some areas of property could not obtain cell service and that the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure was open.
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary of the White House, said that the effort was “improve wi-fi connectivity on the complex”.
But the circumstances are different from any previous situation to resolve Internet services. Musk, who is now an unpaid consultant who works as a “special government employee” at the White House, controls Starlink and other companies that have regulatory issues before or contracts with the federal government. The questions about his commercial interests in conflict with his status as presidential councilor and main Trump donor persisted for weeks.
In February, Chris Stanley, who currently works as a security engineer at two of the companies of Mr. Musk, Spacex and the Social Media X platform, went to the roof of the Eisenhower executive office building in the White House complex to explore the installation of Starlink there. Stanley also worked with the Department of Efficiency of the Musk government as an employee of the Special Government and on Monday President Trump appointed him to the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae.
While Mr. Stanley opened a door that led to the roof of the building, which is located directly in front of an entrance to the White House, triggered an alarm that warned the secret service to its presence. He created a dramatic scene while an officer in uniform hastened to respond, according to four people with knowledge of the accident.
A fifth person with knowledge of the event said that Mr. Stanley had previously been said by the secret service that could take a look at the roof, but the agency had not coordinated a time for the arrival of Mr. Stanley.
Harrison Fields, a spokesman for the White House, said that the White House “was aware of the doge’s intentions to improve internet access on the campus” and that “he did not consider this matter a security accident or a safety violation”.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the secret service, also said that it was not considered a violation or a safety accident.
White House officials said Starlink had “donated” the service and that the gift had been controlled by the lawyer who supervised the problems of ethics in the office of the White House consultant.
Some former officials were not clear on how such a donation could work.
Clare Martorana, former Chief Information Officer of the White House during the Biden administration, said that people generally cannot simply give the government technology. He said that the Chief Information Officer of the White House was supposed to sign a new system to ensure that it was adequately insured, as well as the Chief Information Officer at the administration of general services.
Stanley worked to organize the new Starlink system in concert with the White House information technology office, which is a councilor while he was also assigned to work on the Department of Justice, said one of the people who are familiar with the matter.
The White House is the last property of the government on which Starlink operates now.
In recent weeks, Starlink has also been established at the administration of general services, which has served as a hub for the relegated efforts of the Musk government, according to the documents and people who are familiar with the service.
While several federal agencies contract with Starlink, the satellite service is generally used to provide Internet access in emergency situations and remote offices, not in the Federal buildings of Washington, which already have large Internet options.
Starlink is generally seen as a reliable network. In October, the Federal Emergency Management Agency contracted with Starlink to distribute terminals for service throughout the North Carolina after Hurricane Helene hit the state. The service was also crucial for the Ukrainian defenses against Russia, with Spacex that estimates the Department of Defense which cost $ 400 million to support the effort in a period of 12 months around 2022.
It is less clear, however, that the Starlink Internet service will significantly expand the ability of wireless internet in buildings where fiber cables will already provide access.
It was also not clear if Starlink communications were encrypted. At least, the system allows a network separated from the existing White House servers that people on the ground are able to use, keeping such data separated.
“It is super rare” to install Starlink or another internet supplier to replace existing government infrastructures that have been controlled and protected, said Jake Williams, vice -president for the research and development of Hunter Strategy, a consultancy on computer security. “I can’t think about a time I have heard of it.”
“Presents another point of attack,” said Williams. “But why introduce this risk?”
An official with knowledge of the discussions on the installation of Starlink to the White House, which was not authorized to speak publicly, said that the secret service was concerned that the Starlink system could be summoned through the safe hard wiring existing to the White House which is used by the secret service, as well as by other federal agencies. The fact that the Internet service is now working through a different data hub seems to have faced this concern.
At the General Services Administration, in which the use of Starlink was previously reported by NBC News, the service was added to a list of apps approved for download on the Agency’s mobile devices. This list also includes apps of two other companies led by Musk, X and Tesla, according to the documents seen by the New York Times.
“Only apps are allowed that meet GSA’s security and privacy standards,” said the agency spokesman in a note. The agency refused to comment on its use of Starlink.
Mr. Musk expressed frustration for that which he considers obsolete technology in the government and has browsed the effort to modernize it.
Shortly after Mr. Trump had sworn, Mr. Musk complained of the fact that a digital system known as Waves, which allows the secret service to approve guests to enter the soil of the White House, was clumsy. Some officials of the White House have shared that evaluation. Mr. Musk commissioned Mr. Stanley to repair him, according to two people informed about the matter.
Guglielmi, spokesperson for the secret service, said that the agency “collaborates in close contact with” Mr. Musk’s team and has continuous discussions. At the moment, he added, “formal changes have not been made to the system of access to visitors to the White House”.
Jonathan Swan AND Tyler Pager Contributed relationships.