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> Billions of people, blocked from accessing the Internet due to lack of infrastructure or local greed or fraud related to same, are presently kept from partici

by gitgud 7y ago

> Billions of people, blocked from accessing the Internet due to lack of infrastructure or local greed or fraud related to same, are presently kept from participating in the global knowledge economy. Starlink will remedy this, to some extent. Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly? I'm worried about such a future controlled by SpaceX...

threeseed 7y ago
I wouldn't worry about it. If SpaceX does become a monopoly it will simply be treated as a utility and forced to offer FRAND wholesale pricing to anyone who wants it. And the fun part is that SpaceX being global will have to negotiate with each country that it wants to operate in. Good luck with that.
retrac 7y ago
There are multiple competitors with similar plans on the drawing board already. And unlike with geosynchronous orbit, there's no practical limit to the number of satellites in very low-earth-orbit. If Starlink is profitable, I would fully expect multiple competing networks before long.
- dzhiurgis 7y ago
  Competitors won't achieve until there's competition for SpaceX launch service. Bezo seems to be most ahead, but also super far from offering commercial launches.
deleted 7y ago
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aylmao 7y ago
> Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly? shivers. My gripe with this comment is the subtle neo-colonial undertone it has too. "The world needs saving from their inefficient local authorities! It's their fault other countries don't enjoy the spoils of modernity. Luckily this charitable Westerner will bring you under their efficient global empire... ermm, company".
- raxxorrax 7y ago
  > neo-colonial undertone it has too This argument makes absolutely no sense at all. How is that colonialism? I would like a further explanation. Because corporation <-> government?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
rkangel 7y ago
Even if it does have a monopoly on space based internet (there are some good counter-arguments in the sibling comments), that doesn't mean it has a monopoly on internet access as a whole. Lots of us could benefit from Starlink without ever paying a subscription - just look what happened with US internet providers in cities where Google Fiber launched. Once they had some reasonable competition they suddenly discovered that they could deliver a much better quality of service. Starlink will force the wired carriers to compete properly, for maybe the first time ever.

by gitgud 7y ago

threeseed 7y ago

I wouldn't worry about it. If SpaceX does become a monopoly it will simply be treated as a utility and forced to offer FRAND wholesale pricing to anyone who wants it. And the fun part is that SpaceX being global will have to negotiate with each country that it wants to operate in. Good luck with that.

retrac 7y ago

There are multiple competitors with similar plans on the drawing board already. And unlike with geosynchronous orbit, there's no practical limit to the number of satellites in very low-earth-orbit. If Starlink is profitable, I would fully expect multiple competing networks before long.

dzhiurgis 7y ago
Competitors won't achieve until there's competition for SpaceX launch service. Bezo seems to be most ahead, but also super far from offering commercial launches.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

aylmao 7y ago

> Isn't covering the world in a blanket of satellites from a single company the epitome of a global Monopoly? shivers. My gripe with this comment is the subtle neo-colonial undertone it has too. "The world needs saving from their inefficient local authorities! It's their fault other countries don't enjoy the spoils of modernity. Luckily this charitable Westerner will bring you under their efficient global empire... ermm, company".

raxxorrax 7y ago
> neo-colonial undertone it has too This argument makes absolutely no sense at all. How is that colonialism? I would like a further explanation. Because corporation <-> government?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

rkangel 7y ago

Even if it does have a monopoly on space based internet (there are some good counter-arguments in the sibling comments), that doesn't mean it has a monopoly on internet access as a whole. Lots of us could benefit from Starlink without ever paying a subscription - just look what happened with US internet providers in cities where Google Fiber launched. Once they had some reasonable competition they suddenly discovered that they could deliver a much better quality of service. Starlink will force the wired carriers to compete properly, for maybe the first time ever.