Vom Steuerzahler subventioniertes Starlink streicht den günstigeren 40-Dollar-Plan, weil das Netzwerk die Last nicht bewältigen konnte
Vom Steuerzahler subventioniertes Starlink streicht den günstigeren 40-Dollar-Plan, weil das Netzwerk die Last nicht bewältigen konnte
10 Kommentare
The only reason Starlink exists is to give SpaceX money to launch the satellites. Everything Musk does is basically fraud.
Man, Techdirt sure does have a hard-on for Elon. Here’s yet another BS hit piece.
In what way is Starlink “tax-payer” subsidized? SpaceX gets about 25% of their revenue from government contracts, but that’s not a subsidy, it’s to put important NASA and national security payloads into space and, you know, rescue crew from the ISS that Boeing stranded there.
Real subsidies, to the tune of billions of dollars, have gone to larger corporations like Charter Communications for rural broadband programs that have so far connected zero customers.
I assume the butt-hurt Karl Bode will refuse to use in-flight WiFi on any airlines or cruise ships, or better yet I assume he refuses to fly on any airlines that provide Starlink.
„can’t handle the load“
Sure, Jan.
This is a requirement of receiving the subsidy.
The US should yank the subsidy.
This isn’t horribly surprising. Starlink has a limited bandwidth and in dense areas it simply can’t service all of the available customers. In especially high demand areas I _think_ there is a wait list to even have service. I use Starlink when in Alaska and can say it has peaks and valleys. When there are very few customers around it’s great. As the summer heats up it slows down substantially. Maybe a higher satellite density will help with this but I think there are some inherent (physics) issues they are going to have a hard/expensive time solving.
Called out in the article:
>Back in June, researchers showed in detail that given the limited nature of satellite physics, the more people that use Starlink, [the slower the network is going to get](https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/31/study-shows-musks-starlink-too-congested-to-tackle-u-s-broadband-woes-despite-billions-in-new-subsidies/). What, exactly, do folks think is going to happen when the network sees a mass infusion of taxpayer subsidized advertisement and usage?
Seems like it’s shaking out to be a broadband funding cash grab at the expense of the taxpayer.
A requirement for my vote in the next democratic presidential primary election is an unambiguous promise to remove this pale, bloated, South African leach from the belly of our federal government – with a (rhetorical) chainsaw.
Maximizing shareholder value by every means possible.
Nothing can stand in the way of Elon becoming worth hundreds of trillions of dollars while billions cease to exist as they squeeze everything from us.
Just the next in a long line of companies taking government money to get rural communities internet and then failing to deliver. Not the first time, nor is it the last time.
Gotta make room for all the Russians using Starlink for telemetry data / network connection for their drones…
Hitting peak load already?