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The article touches on this. Starlink is not the answer. It's a short term solution.

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
It doesn’t say much, and to me it reads like an emotional anti-Musk take: > ignoring the LEO satellite platform’s capacity constraints, high prices, erratic leadership, and problematic environmental impact I think capacity constraints are nonexistent for most uses, and capacity is increasing all the time. Clearly LEO has enough capacity because there are many other large constellations also launching. The price is not very different than Comcast or whoever, but with much easier installation, better speeds in most areas, and better customer service. The “erratic” leadership has no effect on the problem we’re discussing, and in fact, Musk has done amazing work with SpaceX and Starlink. On the other hand we’ve already spent tens or hundreds of billions on traditional broadband to neglected areas and got very little for it. We would have been better off giving all those people the money directly so they can pay for satellite Internet.
- michaelt 2y ago
  https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/starlinks-current-problem-capacity https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/starlinks-current-pro... Capacity issues are a common problem for wireless internet users, because the bandwidth provided by a base station / cell / satellite is divided among its users. Corporations have trouble resisting the temptation to over-sell their capacity, as adding subscribers on the same equipment is pure profit.
  - whalesalad 2y ago
    Not to mention - latency. So many people get caught up in bandwidth but if your latency is in the toilet your experience will be miserable. I would much rather see my packets shoot through a glass tube with minimal latency than literally travel into outer space and then back down to earth (assuming no mesh routing is taking place between the satellites). Literal latency nightmare.
    - Dylan16807 2y ago
      When it comes to low orbit satellites, that thinking is wrong. It's an extra 2 milliseconds or less, four times. It's not enough to matter.
marcusverus 2y ago
Per the article, Starlink is not the answer because: > Capacity constraints Take the author's word for it > high prices Odd criticism of Starlink, given this article cites a project in Oswego County, NY as a success... even though they spent $2,400 per connected household! > erratic leadership This is journo for "I don't like the CEO's politics"
- onlypassingthru 2y ago
  >This is journo for "I don't like the CEO's politics" Or, it's an accurate description of Elon's team using blackmail to get what they want. https://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-access-starlink-internet-services-over-minerals-say-2025-02-22/ https://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-acces...
  - marcusverus 2y ago
    > U.S. negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine's critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country's access to Elon Musk's vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. "U.S. negotiators" (not Elon Musk) threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink, ergo Elon Musk is erratic. Insightful.
- whalesalad 2y ago
  Doesn't really matter. Fiber is unequivocally better than satellite. We should not be optimizing for "oh hey starlink exists, fuck rural customers they can just use that" that is the situation we have been in forever with Hughes. There is no reason to not have fiber crisscrossing every county in our nation.
  - marcusverus 2y ago
    > Doesn't really matter. Fiber is unequivocally better than satellite. Oh, word? How much of other people's money are you willing to spend to give random people in rural New York access to marginally better internet? $2,400 per household is no problem for you, clearly. Where's the ceiling? > We should not be optimizing for "oh hey starlink exists, fuck rural customers... Please go back to reddit.

It doesn’t say much, and to me it reads like an emotional anti-Musk take: > ignoring the LEO satellite platform’s capacity constraints, high prices, erratic leadership, and problematic environmental impact I think capacity constraints are nonexistent for most uses, and capacity is increasing all the time. Clearly LEO has enough capacity because there are many other large constellations also launching. The price is not very different than Comcast or whoever, but with much easier installation, better speeds in most areas, and better customer service. The “erratic” leadership has no effect on the problem we’re discussing, and in fact, Musk has done amazing work with SpaceX and Starlink. On the other hand we’ve already spent tens or hundreds of billions on traditional broadband to neglected areas and got very little for it. We would have been better off giving all those people the money directly so they can pay for satellite Internet.

michaelt 2y ago
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/starlinks-current-problem-capacity https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/starlinks-current-pro... Capacity issues are a common problem for wireless internet users, because the bandwidth provided by a base station / cell / satellite is divided among its users. Corporations have trouble resisting the temptation to over-sell their capacity, as adding subscribers on the same equipment is pure profit.
- whalesalad 2y ago
  Not to mention - latency. So many people get caught up in bandwidth but if your latency is in the toilet your experience will be miserable. I would much rather see my packets shoot through a glass tube with minimal latency than literally travel into outer space and then back down to earth (assuming no mesh routing is taking place between the satellites). Literal latency nightmare.
  - Dylan16807 2y ago
    When it comes to low orbit satellites, that thinking is wrong. It's an extra 2 milliseconds or less, four times. It's not enough to matter.

marcusverus 2y ago

Per the article, Starlink is not the answer because: > Capacity constraints Take the author's word for it > high prices Odd criticism of Starlink, given this article cites a project in Oswego County, NY as a success... even though they spent $2,400 per connected household! > erratic leadership This is journo for "I don't like the CEO's politics"

onlypassingthru 2y ago
>This is journo for "I don't like the CEO's politics" Or, it's an accurate description of Elon's team using blackmail to get what they want. https://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-access-starlink-internet-services-over-minerals-say-2025-02-22/ https://www.reuters.com/business/us-could-cut-ukraines-acces...
- marcusverus 2y ago
  > U.S. negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine's critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country's access to Elon Musk's vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. "U.S. negotiators" (not Elon Musk) threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink, ergo Elon Musk is erratic. Insightful.
whalesalad 2y ago
Doesn't really matter. Fiber is unequivocally better than satellite. We should not be optimizing for "oh hey starlink exists, fuck rural customers they can just use that" that is the situation we have been in forever with Hughes. There is no reason to not have fiber crisscrossing every county in our nation.
- marcusverus 2y ago
  > Doesn't really matter. Fiber is unequivocally better than satellite. Oh, word? How much of other people's money are you willing to spend to give random people in rural New York access to marginally better internet? $2,400 per household is no problem for you, clearly. Where's the ceiling? > We should not be optimizing for "oh hey starlink exists, fuck rural customers... Please go back to reddit.