Starlink was offered free to those hit by Hurricane Helene. It was anything but(theregister.com)

25 pointsby Katydid2 tahun yang lalu42 comments

Starlink was offered free to those hit by Hurricane Helene. It was anything but

https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/08/elon_musks_free_starlink_hurricane_helene/

50 comments

Let's put aside the ethical and legal implications of lying to disaster survivors, and calling your normal free trial month as "disaster relief", and enrolling people recovering from a disaster in a monthly auto-renewing service after a 1 month free trial ...

Actually, no, let's not put that aside. This is repulsive behavior.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Article is misleading. There's no auto renewal

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

According to the starlink announcement:

"After 30 days, we will move you to a paid Residential subscription, tied the location you are using it in at that time. We will reevaluate as necessary based on conditions in the area. Starlink will notify you as the 30 day mark approaches to remind you of the change."

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

These are people with equipment already. You don't need an account to use it so how will you be billed?

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

You have to create an account to use the promotion.

    Go to starlink.com/residential
    Enter your address and click “Order Now”
    Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

It's not required. The map isn't the territory.

There's people on ground using it like that w/o activation

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

So Starlink's activation instructions expressly written for the Hurricane Helene relief effort are lies?

Please forgive me if I request a citation. Especially since the information you've provided so far has all been contradicted by official Starlink sources.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

https://x.com/Unitedcajunnavy/status/1843985998721524222

I believe this is the org that asked for it

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

xracy2 tahun yang lalu

"what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence"

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

https://x.com/Unitedcajunnavy/status/1843985998721524222

I believe this is the organization that asked for this.

Everyone is buying at retail. You can't actually get it online

xracy2 tahun yang lalu

Even if this had sources like the above article...

You still haven't addressed the fact that the article explicitly calls out the hardware costing $400.

So yeah, the service is free for 30 days (like the free trial only worse in some ways from the article), provided you have paid $400. The not auto-renewal is the lowest bar to clear for not being a scummy company. The $400 for the hardware is highway robbery and an opportunistic cash grab.

Even in the world where your correction had a primary source you're missing the point by making this correction.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

You can't get the hardware from SpaceX since you want it immediately, so you buy at retail. It's not $400

Cash grab?

You think they make the equipment for free in Shangri LA? Is it more expensive than other phased array antennas? Did SpaceX suddenly jack up the price? Is Apple giving out free phones for their free SOS? Does SpaceX owe people phones so they can use direct to cell since that's also free?

You don't need to activate it to use it. You just plug it in and it works. There's no credit card to renew. Unless you want to activate it(there's a risk a thief would be able to resell it if you don't)

It was always an offer of free service without hardware. Like the mobile providers offering free services in the area, they aren't going to give you free equipment.

This is what was offered

"Starlink is providing free service for 30 days in regions affected by Hurricane Helene"

That's it. You can't extract free equipment from that statement. Even providers that give equipment without charge own it or tie it to a contract. What you pay SpaceX isn't an activation fee. You own your dish in full.

See how the guy who asked for this has several dishes? . https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1841207137420132549

xracy2 tahun yang lalu

> it's not $400

There's just no point in having this conversation, and I'd like you to understand why from my first comment. You're not having a conversation about facts. Your sources for this information have been:

1. Claiming that what the article says is wrong. 2. Tweets with no primary sources

This kind of stuff is really easy to find meaningful answers to, and you just don't and instead gainsay whatever goes against statements made by Elon. (Elon is not a reliable source for a reason).

"Starlink is providing free service for 30 days in regions affected by Hurricane Helene" <- This is meaningfully false if you have to buy the hardware to access it. $400 is $400 more than free.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Oh I forgot. There's organizations giving out free gasoline and propane.

Do they have to give out free cars, generators or gas stoves for it to be legit for you? Free Jerry Cans? Gas Cylinders?

I know how starlink works. I don't need to ask people on the Internet or read articles. I know at least two network engineers there from a mailing list I was on before they joined SpaceX . And I contacted one I saw on TV. I also have correspondence with researchers who reveal non public information about it.

Free service is meaningful even if you have to buy a private jet to use it. Apple's SOS is free and Google's SOS is free to the user.

So is Starlink service in hurricane areas.

Having to buy a device doesn't negate anything.

If I give out free WiFi I'm not beholden to give people free devices to connect to it either.

The truth is even if the device was free with one month of free service, it would just change what you complain about. For some people nothing is ever enough.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Free service isn't free hardware.

https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/free-internet-hurricane-h...

Verizon is also offering free service for 30 days. Go get your free iPhone 16 Pro Max from them without a contract to take advantage of the offer .

Until then it's meaningfully true to me

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/free-internet-hurricane-h...

There's an offer here for free service from Verizon. Is it meaningfully false if they aren't giving free phones?

What about Starlink direct to Cell?

Apple's SOS?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/STARLINK-Standard-Kit-High-Speed...

That's 349 at Home Depot as an example

Another thing you've missed is activation isn't required for use.

> 2. Tweets with no primary sources

As opposed to news authors who don't know how the service works?

And it's not only this author

Look at this one

https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/networking/starlinks-h...

Cited someone on Reddit. If he didn't we'd have just taken the claim as fact but when you go and check, you find out that unlike me she's not a starlink user. And when she's called out and admits she knows nothing about it she refuses to retract her claims. Just like in the comment section of the article, several people insist only FEMA rather than SpaceX and several other orgs have delivered free dishes to help. I'm sure you can find an article to buttress that claim but it's not the on ground reality

That person on Twitter is the one that asked for free service. As I pointed out he already had the equipment.

>The $400 for the hardware is highway robbery and an opportunistic cash grab.

The only way this would be true is if they increased the prices just because of this Hurricane. It's exactly around the same price as a Jupiter dish from HughesNet too. And you can sell it too. It's your property.

I don't need articles because I've installed the stuff. When you get a new dish you have one hour unlocked Internet to activate your service. Now that's 30 days. Talk about auto enrollment into some contract is easily avoided nonsense.

12_throw_away2 tahun yang lalu

Please stop.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

No. I have insights into the issue. And the authors of this nonsense are pushing an agenda

12_throw_away2 tahun yang lalu

> I have insights into the issue

This made me lol, thanks!

carlosdp2 tahun yang lalu

Starlinks are being dropped for free by volunteers all over the Helene disaster area. They were being blocked by having to setup payment, so Elon made it free in that area to unblock them.

This is an absurd article, the people who need Starlinks in NC and such can't even log on to this page to order one, they by definition do not have internet access at the moment!

josefritzishere2 tahun yang lalu

This is classic Musk. Is this guy even capable of conducting honest business?

Katydid2 tahun yang lalu

This came as a huge shock to those who only got the "free Starlink" through word of mouth here on the ground. We were told, "just go to starlink.com/activate" and type in your address. It was complete horseshit. The worst part about it was phones were in SOS mode, there was no internet anywhere, yet we could load that page to activate, which meant THERE WAS INTERNET. Just not to those who didn't pay for hardware and delivery (to places that are impossible to deliver to even today a week out). Infuriating.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

The offer is specifically targeted at people buying at retail who have issues activating.

And has never been misleading. You can check the source yourself

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

Source checked. Sending in free hardware, and we're creating an update to make service free. Oh, and after 30 days, you'll be renewed on a normal retail plan

Sources: Starlink on X, Musk on X, and the Starlink details page on the free service respectively.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

I have the same sources it's an offer for free service for people with equipment.

https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841503492445176151

https://x.com/Starlink/status/1841567233417576497

You don't need to activate a plan or even make an account. The dish will just work

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

https://www.starlink.com/support/article/58126733-e4d2-db62-...

    Go to starlink.com/residential
    Enter your address and click “Order Now”
    Select the “Helene Relief” service plan and check out

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Starlink kit required in the post you did contrary to the post activation isn't required.

If you have a dish, you don't have to sign up for anything

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

Those are the instructions for new customers. Existing customers can add up to 20 kits to their account you'll note.

These are absolutely tied to accounts, to addresses, to billing information.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Like I said.

You have a dish currently without a plan in the area, you switch it on. It will give you Internet

falcolas2 tahun yang lalu

I said it more politely elsewhere, but:

Citation needed.

inemesitaffia2 tahun yang lalu

Better from a user rather than supplier

https://x.com/Unitedcajunnavy/status/1843985998721524222

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