Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is now accessible across the White House campus. It is the latest installation of the Wi-Fi network across the government since Mr. Musk joined the Trump administration as an unpaid adviser.
White House officials said the installation was an effort to increase internet availability at the complex. They said that some areas of the property could not get cell service and that the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure was overtaxed.
Mr. Stanley worked to set up the new Starlink system in concert with the White House information technology office, which he is an adviser to while also being assigned [by DOGE] to work at the Justice Department, one of the people familiar with the matter said.
The White House is the latest government property on which Starlink now operates.
In recent weeks, Starlink was also set up at the General Services Administration, which has served as a hub for Mr. Musk’s government-shrinking efforts, according to documents and people familiar with the service.
While several federal agencies contract with Starlink, the satellite service is typically used to provide internet access in emergency situations and to remote locations — not at federal buildings in Washington, which already have ample internet options.
It is less clear, however, that the Starlink internet service will significantly expand wireless internet capacity in buildings where fiber cables already provide access.
It was also unclear if Starlink communications were encrypted. At a minimum, the system allows for a network separate from existing White House servers that people on the grounds are able to use, keeping that data separate.
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