Alphabet to aid Puerto Rico with Project Loon

Google's parent company Alphabet, has been granted approval by the FCC to use their Project Loon experiment in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to restore communications damaged by hurricane Maria.

Project Loon was started some years ago, to share internet access to rural and underdeveloped areas, it did so through the utilization of hot air balloons and laser transmission technology, to create a massive wireless network grid, floating above a selected geographic area. More information can be found here. Since the initial introduction of the project however, it seemed to have gone under the radar until now.

The monster hurricane, Maria, devastated the islands, and disrupted access to most essential supplies like food and running water. It is also reported that 83% of the islands' communication networks are down, offering a fantastic opportunity to bring Project Loon back into the forefront. The FCC chairman Ajit Pai stated the following:

“More than two weeks after Hurricane Maria struck, millions of Puerto Ricans are still without access to much-needed communications services, that’s why we need to take innovative approaches to help restore connectivity on the island.” - FCC Chairman, Ajit Pai

This is a fantastic showcase for the technology, as well as a great way to highlight how technology can assist in the event of disaster. It is reported that other companies such as Tesla and Facebook are also mobilizing effort of their own to get these countries back to some degree of normalcy. It remains to be seen if they will be assisting other, non-American islands however, such as Dominica, who have been equally, if not more devastated.