3 ms·

Isn't the percentage of the world population that gets internet via Starlink very low? Also, how was the US government involved in the creation of Starlink?

boringg 1y ago
Agree with you - Starlink doesn't have a government connection. In fact the reason it was successful is that it didn't have one. The government connected internet was the landlines that the cable companies were trying to deploy in the rural America for high cost tax paying dollars. It is a US company though - but I think this is very tin foil hat territory here.
- jeromegv 1y ago
  > Starlink doesn't have a government connection. US DOD is contracting Starlink in Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_in_the_Russian-Ukrainian_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_in_the_Russian-Ukrain...
  - boringg 1y ago
    Originally on inception -- sorry should have clarified for the purposes of the speculation purposes that it is US gov controlled.
    - daveguy 1y ago
      Do you honestly think any US industry is impervious to being coopted by this corrupt administration?
      - boringg 1y ago
        I do - more so than most other countries.
        daveguy 1y ago
        Thank you for the optimism. I hope you're right.
Mountain_Skies 1y ago
Starshield is a very important revenue stream that helps fund Starlink overall.
Jeremy1026 1y ago
There is an argument that could be made that if the government didn't provide SpaceX contracts they'd never have the capital available to put Starlink into operation.
- bdamm 1y ago
  That's not a supportable argument. The US government has been extremely fickle about their support of SpaceX's Starlink. Witness the revocation of the funding for rural communities. If you're referring to NASA and other government agencies contracting for launch services, well sure, but that too was an open market that SpaceX won on clear merit. In my community, Starlink is very popular, because the local DSL (the only option) is terrible. Fiber projects exist, but they are totally blocked by processes requiring the approval of native tribes if trenches dug for fiber discover piles of shells left behind by tribes hundreds of years ago. In entirely different areas, I see Starlink terminals popping up on every mining and forestry contractor's truck. I suspect Starlink's popularity among those who roam widely is just as important, if not moreso, than any funding the federal government has provided, because that is a clear and sustainable revenue that is entirely based on practical industrial applications.
lofaszvanitt 1y ago
Oh watch as the new phones get satellite access for cents......
whynotmaybe 1y ago
The gov is kinda involved because every rocket launch from US soil must be approved by a gov agency, including the payload manifest.
- ectospheno 1y ago
  I want you to seriously imagine a world where any idiot can launch a rocket into space carrying anything they want. You think the FDA is over reach too?
  - beefnugs 1y ago
    You are right, only the real men who throw HEILs while k-holing should be able to do it

boringg 1y ago

Agree with you - Starlink doesn't have a government connection. In fact the reason it was successful is that it didn't have one. The government connected internet was the landlines that the cable companies were trying to deploy in the rural America for high cost tax paying dollars. It is a US company though - but I think this is very tin foil hat territory here.

jeromegv 1y ago
> Starlink doesn't have a government connection. US DOD is contracting Starlink in Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_in_the_Russian-Ukrainian_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink_in_the_Russian-Ukrain...
- boringg 1y ago
  Originally on inception -- sorry should have clarified for the purposes of the speculation purposes that it is US gov controlled.
  - daveguy 1y ago
    Do you honestly think any US industry is impervious to being coopted by this corrupt administration?
    - boringg 1y ago
      I do - more so than most other countries.
      - daveguy 1y ago
        Thank you for the optimism. I hope you're right.

Mountain_Skies 1y ago

Starshield is a very important revenue stream that helps fund Starlink overall.

Jeremy1026 1y ago

There is an argument that could be made that if the government didn't provide SpaceX contracts they'd never have the capital available to put Starlink into operation.

bdamm 1y ago
That's not a supportable argument. The US government has been extremely fickle about their support of SpaceX's Starlink. Witness the revocation of the funding for rural communities. If you're referring to NASA and other government agencies contracting for launch services, well sure, but that too was an open market that SpaceX won on clear merit. In my community, Starlink is very popular, because the local DSL (the only option) is terrible. Fiber projects exist, but they are totally blocked by processes requiring the approval of native tribes if trenches dug for fiber discover piles of shells left behind by tribes hundreds of years ago. In entirely different areas, I see Starlink terminals popping up on every mining and forestry contractor's truck. I suspect Starlink's popularity among those who roam widely is just as important, if not moreso, than any funding the federal government has provided, because that is a clear and sustainable revenue that is entirely based on practical industrial applications.

lofaszvanitt 1y ago

Oh watch as the new phones get satellite access for cents......

whynotmaybe 1y ago

The gov is kinda involved because every rocket launch from US soil must be approved by a gov agency, including the payload manifest.

ectospheno 1y ago
I want you to seriously imagine a world where any idiot can launch a rocket into space carrying anything they want. You think the FDA is over reach too?
- beefnugs 1y ago
  You are right, only the real men who throw HEILs while k-holing should be able to do it