"Musk gave out free Starlinks during Hurricane Helene."
Did he?
> As it turns out, the offer wasn’t as generous as it seemed, it’s really more of a new customer promotion.
> The Register pointed out that if anyone goes to sign up for the “free” service, there’re hit with a harsh reality: you have to pay for the equipment.
> But try to sign up for the ostensibly “free” service in an area Starlink has designated as a Helene disaster zone, and surprise: You still have to pay for the terminal (normally $350, but reportedly discounted to $299 for disaster relief, though that’s not reflected in Starlink’s signup page), plus shipping and tax, bringing the grand total to just shy of $400...
> According to the Starlink Helene page, new customers who qualify for free access will be automatically moved to a paid $120-a-month residential subscription tied to the location the terminal was set up for after 30 days.
> Even if you’re a victim that happens to be an existing Starlink customer, if you want those fees waived, you’ll have to file a waiver and then wait for it to be approved. [1]
Not sure why you're taking the world's richest sociopath at his word. And even if he were as charitable as you say (which I obviously don’t stipulate), that would mean... what? We wait for another Hurricane Helene to hit every person without internet access? Then wait even longer for a billionaire to bail them out?
My Comcast monthly cable bill is more than that.
And how much is your cell phone bill?
Musk gave out free Starlinks during Hurricane Helene.
Pretty much everyone has a cell phone.
500 Starlinks? https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/elon-musk-sta...
As opposed to 95% of US homes that have at least one radio receiver? https://www.insideradio.com/inside-story-radios-in-more-u-s-...
Usable digital cell service still doesn’t reach a good chunk of rural Americans.
I’m not sure why an expensive, technically-complicated solution would be an alternative to a free, simple, widely-deployed one.
> Usable digital cell service still doesn’t reach a good chunk of rural Americans.
What's the percent of that?
And what's the percent of people that leave their radio on 24/7?
"Musk gave out free Starlinks during Hurricane Helene."
Did he?
> As it turns out, the offer wasn’t as generous as it seemed, it’s really more of a new customer promotion.
> The Register pointed out that if anyone goes to sign up for the “free” service, there’re hit with a harsh reality: you have to pay for the equipment.
> But try to sign up for the ostensibly “free” service in an area Starlink has designated as a Helene disaster zone, and surprise: You still have to pay for the terminal (normally $350, but reportedly discounted to $299 for disaster relief, though that’s not reflected in Starlink’s signup page), plus shipping and tax, bringing the grand total to just shy of $400...
> According to the Starlink Helene page, new customers who qualify for free access will be automatically moved to a paid $120-a-month residential subscription tied to the location the terminal was set up for after 30 days.
> Even if you’re a victim that happens to be an existing Starlink customer, if you want those fees waived, you’ll have to file a waiver and then wait for it to be approved. [1]
Not sure why you're taking the world's richest sociopath at his word. And even if he were as charitable as you say (which I obviously don’t stipulate), that would mean... what? We wait for another Hurricane Helene to hit every person without internet access? Then wait even longer for a billionaire to bail them out?
1. https://qz.com/elon-musk-free-spacex-starlink-hurricane-hele...
> if you want those fees waived, you’ll have to file a waiver and then wait for it to be approved.
Oh, the horror! Do you know that to get government services, you also have to file a form and wait for it to be approved?
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