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Starlink loses out on $886 million in rural broadband subsidies
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2023
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It's not a scam. Satellite internet was extremely expensive and slow last time I checked a few years before starlink. Yeah , musk is garbage but starlink is actually helping a lot of people worldwide.
The FCC decision sounds like a good thing in this case, also because Starlink isn't being managed responsibly
The technology itself is cool, and I hope some other companies can build off that work to meet that need. There are a lot of existing companies that take advantage of those living in rural areas, many of which don't have other options or much disposable income
*billions
Yep almost a trillion dollars. Was 900 billion something.
We share your pain in Canada with our telecom companies
By competition surely you meant oligarchy.
Starlink is currently the only internet functioning for the Ukrainian army.
ITAR...go look it up. And the UA still uses it for good and so does everyone there, they just cannot use it as a direct weapon. Get off the musk hate dick.... it's clouding you and apparently a bunch of people's judgement.
Like most people on the Internet they don't want to hear about laws that cause outcomes different than what they want. The Musk hate over UA and StarLink is just another example of it. ITAR has been around a long time and for DAMN good reasons.
I can't stand the guy either, but there are way more valid reasons to hate on him than what people love to bitch about.
It's probably the most wasteful way of providing internet imaginable since they have to send satellites up by the dozen every year for them to burn in the atmosphere only several years lates. Yeah I don't think it's a good business model at all, especially considering they haven't been able to turn a profit and rely on subsidies.
Yet many towns where I live saw broadband, yes, broadband, not fiber, for the first time in their life thanks to Starlink. It's easy to talk when coming from a place of privilege.
I would not be able to live where I am without starlink. There isn't even cell signal for 14 km...
I don't like that some portion of the money I'm paying goes towards his insanity. But I put up with it to live in a peaceful forest and continue my job.
Demand more of your local government instead of pulling the privilege card.
The government keeps giving money to traditionally ISPs to expand broadband and they simply lie and say they did to take the money. It's private industry fucking us just as much.
I'm not disagreeing, but who can stand up against corporate bullying? The government. Make the government do it. The corporate world gets away with it because the politicians turn a blind eye because they're not held accountable because not enough people stand together. People have bled for the rights that "privileged" people have, it didn't come free.
It's it really a privilege to live in a city? Sounds more like a choice than privilege. Your choice has consequences and the further you live from the other people, the more problems you'll have with certain infrastructure like water, power, internet.
But I can build my own power and water infra. And I have. I can't build my own connection to the internet, which I need to have in order to make money to do the rest of what it takes to live.
What's your point?
That starlink solves the remaining piece of missing infra that a normal person needs, regardless of the choice to live in a city or not. Even if the CEO is a blight on our species.
Starlink only has a business as long as other ISP's do nothing for rural homes.
Once they do, and they will, Starlink is dead.
I would cherish that day!
It will probably happen if this capitalist wet-dream mellows a bit and government is incentivized to provide their own internet infra regardless of profit. But I am 45 and will probably be long decomposed by then.
But in the near-term - I can't see any land-based ISP covering where I live.
The cost to run 15km of lines to town, when even power poles don't exist, just to service me and the one other nutter who decided to live up here would be prohibitive even for govt funded public internet.
If ISPs weren't greedy bastards that don't care the slightest about their users and gave everyone fiber then yeah, it's wasteful. Sadly, for a lot of people in rural and inaccessible areas and on sea, it's the only way to access internet.
Oh no! It's expensive! Wait. Isn't he the chairman of a vertically integrated space shuttle and satellite international conglomerate? Why are Americans footing the bill for any of this?
You might go back and reread the comment you replied to. They stated that legacy satellite internet was expensive to the tune of $200/mo for 2mbps speeds and a 20GB monthly data cap.
But he can pay for it.
it absolutely is a scam.. you WANT it to not be a scam, but you are incorrect..
I think it's the other way around...you WANT everything he touches to be a scam.
I don't like the guy either, but Starlink is a real, actual product that tons of people are using just fine right now. Also, his rockets are allowing the US to continue to send personnel to the space station without relying on Russia. That is not a scam either.
by trying to go with "i know you are but what am i", you just prove how childish your belief in him is
Actually, failing to address any of my points and just hammering on the "Musk bad" seems childish to me.
you have no points.. i've seen their numbers.. the subscriber growth is non-existent.. revenue is abysmal.. the costs are exactly exorbitant.. there is nothing to hide.. it is a failure hoping for a rescue.. think what you like..
WTF are you on about?
In January of 2022 SL had about 245,000 subscribers. In January of 2023 they had 1,000,000 subscribers. In September of 2023 SL had over 2,000,000 subscribers. They've increased by a factor of 10 in less than 24 months and doubled in the last 9!
Musk is an ass but what your saying about SL just isn't true.
That's what Starship is for. A giant, cheap, stainless steel space truck built by blue collar welders that will vomit out hundreds of them before returning to Earth intact to pick up some more.
The whole Mars thing is just for PR. He has a different use for it. That thing ain't ever making it to Mars.
your belief in the myths apparently helps you to ignore the reality
You have yet to actually provide any counter points other than plugging your ears and saying "Nu uh!"
the numbers are public, apparently none of you care to observe their reality
Apparently you don't know how to have a conversation... Doing a quick search it seems like Starlink is around the break even point for operating costs and revenue, so if you'd like to provide sources to refute that, that'd be great.
What makes you think Starship isn't going to Mars?
Cryo boiloff for long duration missions hasn't been solved, for one. Have you seen how much it vents just sitting on the pad?
Fair enough. Starship is still in its infancy though so I wouldn't completely give up hope yet.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be proven wrong and see it succeed, but it takes a LOT more than welding together a steel soda can with engines to get there.
I get your point, but isn't that essentially what any rocket is? Lol
Why would I want it to not be a scam ? I don't even use it. Years ago, I heard about internet satellite and got curious, so I searched a bit about it and found out it was really expensive. I don't remember exactly but it was more or less in the 100s of dollars monthly for an abysmal speed like " up to 8mb" or something.
If anyone used internet satellite a few years before starlink was launched please correct me if I am wrong.
You're not far off, my parents have a 5gb data cap, about 1-2mbps down, and pings in the 500s.
I don't know how much they're charged, but Starlink is cheaper and better in all aspects
I had a neighbor ask me about my Starlink. They said they had ViaSat and were posting $180 a month for a 2gb data cap with 2-3mb speeds and would have to purchase more for overages. Internet was a requirement because she worked from home. I used to have Hughesnet and they have the same structure.
Yes, Musk sucks, but Starlink has been a game changer for us rural folk.
So it's far worse than I remember. Honestly, I can see the 1-2 mb limit be enough for very casual use but a 5gb data cap for a month is beyond a joke.
Huges internet has categorically been a fucking robbery scheme since inception.