4 ms·
Why are we pretending that rural residents are not deserving of something better than Starlink? It is better than DSL, but it sure as hell isn’t better than fi
by kmbfjr 3y ago
Why are we pretending that rural residents are not deserving of something better than Starlink?
It is better than DSL, but it sure as hell isn’t better than fiber — by a long shot.
- mortos 3y agoIt's not even better than cable. There was someone on HN maybe 2 months ago who shared their speed tests and every evening it dropped to 6mbps.
- zachmu 3y agoNeighborhood congestion is the bane of every ISP, and starlink is no exception here. It definitely gets slower during Netflix hours, but it never becomes unusable.
- ftth_finland 3y ago> Neighborhood congestion is the bane of every ISP Not really, congestion is only an issue for poorly designed or poorly run ISPs.
- zachmu 3y agoIt doesn't have to be better than fiber. 100 megabits is more than enough bandwidth for almost anyone, especially people accustomed to having no bandwidth. Talking about what people deserve is a fun way to avoid the actual question of who will pay for it. You can buy a starlink satellite for $600 today, then get broadband service for $120 per month.
- ghaff 3y agoPeople here are obsessed with fiber but I don't think the bandwidth I get from Comcast in an exurban Boston community is a lot better than Starlink. Bandwidth needs could certainly increase in some manner in the future that makes a gigabit connection to every home in the US that gets electricity a practical necessity. But, for now, Starlink or the equivalent is a perfectly reasonable alternative at a cost that is on par with various other utilities.