AVERY COUNTY â An innovative partnership between Elon Muskâs satellite internet service Starlink and the state of North Carolina is bringing satellite internet service to two rural NC counties through a program that could likely have impacts in Avery, Ashe and Watauga counties in the not too distant future. The program, known as the Satellite Internet Technologies for Student Connectivity Pilot, will provide students in the Swain County and Hyde County school systems access to Space Exploration Technologies Corporationâs, (SpaceX) Starlink internet service. Funding for the program was made available through the CARES Act and implementation of the technology will be made possible through the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and the Friday Institute at NC State University, among other state organizations.