The FCC has granted an experimental license for Project Loon to help provide emergency cellular service in Puerto Rico.
“More than two weeks after Hurricane Maria struck, millions of Puerto Ricans are still without access to much-needed communications services,” said Chairman Ajit Pai.
Project Loon, which is led by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is a network of balloons that is designed to provide connectivity to users on the ground in rural and remote areas worldwide.
In effort to help with the relief process after Hurricane Maria, Project Loon also obtained consent agreements to use land mobile radio (LMR) radio spectrum in 900 MHz band from existing carriers in Puerto Rico.
