I'm just skimming comments and haven't fully absorbed the context, but even without FTL, being able to communicate "directly" (e.g. "through" the Earth) would s

I'm just skimming comments and haven't fully absorbed the context, but even without FTL, being able to communicate "directly" (e.g. "through" the Earth) would significantly reduce signal travel time, compared to running around the Earth on fiber or, longer yet, via bounced radio waves. For one, financial market traders would have a field day with such.