The FCC is giving approval for Google's parent company, Alphabet, to help restore wireless service to Puerto Rico with balloons. Hurricane Maria devastated infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands last month, taking down the power grid and communications network.
Millions of Puerto Ricans are still without reliable communications. The balloons would float into high-altitudes of around 60-thousand feet, where they can be navigated by wind currents. They carry equipment that could help reestablish wireless capability and can last for as long as 100 days.
The idea was used successfully in Peru earlier this year.
Source: Tech Crunch